Prime Minister Phillips pushes for installation of equipment for establishment of 200 ICT hubs in Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities
Office of the Prime Minister
Press release
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Prime Minister, Hon. Mark Phillips, today, gave the directive for the commencement of the installation of equipment for the establishment of 200 fully-functioning ICT hubs under the ICT Access and eServices for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities Project.
The Prime Minister emphasised that the establishment of these hubs is especially important given the need for remote forms of communication in light of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Prime Minister, Hon. Mark Phillips and UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Ms Mikiko Tanaka during the meeting
Prime Minister Phillips’ directive was made during a meeting with representatives from the United Nations, the United Nations Development Project (UNDP), the World Bank, the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) and the ICT Access and eServices for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities Project at the Office of the Prime Minister.
The Project is a joint initiative between the UNDP and the Government of Guyana, and is also funded by the UNDP. The Project Management team was established in January 2019, and since then, 70 communities have been equipped with very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) satellites which provide Wi-Fi to those locations.
Prime Minister Phillips’ instruction will ensure that equipment is installed in all 200 communities in the near future and that these locations are also outfitted with the necessary infrastructure to make them fully functioning ICT Hubs. The Prime Minister stated that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, citizens are still expecting the timely delivery of services, as such, work cannot be held at a standstill. Representatives from the UNDP as well as the ICT Access and eServices for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities Project expressed their commitment to having the project move forward efficiently.
Prime Minister, Hon. Mark Phillips met with representatives of the of the UN, UNDP, World Bank and other officials
In attendance at today’s meeting were UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Ms Mikiko Tanaka; UNDP Resident Representative in Guyana, Mr. Jairo Valverde, along with representatives from the World Bank, NDMA, and the eServices for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities Project.
The UNDP representatives expressed their willingness to work with the new government to achieve common goals in key sectors such as energy, the environment and climate change.