IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

The first ever Caribbean Digitization Workshop aimed at exploring low-cost methods of digitizing personal memories across the region is currently underway in St. Kitts and Nevis under the theme “Preserving Your Memories in a Digital World”.

The workshop will run for three days from April 26-28, and is hosted by The Caribbean Branch of the International Council on Archives (CARBICA) in conjunction with the St. Kitts-Nevis National Archives. It is sponsored by the International Council on Archives’ Fund for the International Development of Archives (FIDA).

“The naming of websites and other e-services will strictly follow international best practice,” said Minister of State for Education, Information and Technology, Sen. the Hon. Nigel Carty.

Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis believes The Bahamas can replicate the success experienced by the Republic of Estonia, which has effectively used technology to transform its government services and attract international investment.

Prime Minister Minnis held a bilateral meeting with the President of the Republic of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, on Tuesday, Feb. 26, on the sidelines of the 30th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The Education Minister shared this view during a Monday, January 31 press conference organized to update the public on the progress of the government initiative, I-Literacy One-to-One Laptop Project.

Carty explained that it was necessary to educate children at all levels in ICT, in order to ensure the development of a successful economy.

The Data Protection Bill 2018 intended to promote the protection of personal data processed by public and private bodies has been passed in the National Assembly of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The Bill, which had its first reading in September 2015, was debated in the House on Thursday.

Mover of the Bill, Minister of Information Technology, Attorney-General Vincent Byron Jr. said the objective of the bill is to safeguard personal data from unlawful processing by public and private bodies. He said it would also promote transparency and accountability in the processing of personal data.

The Team Unity Government officially launched 5 additional applications (apps) for its E-Government portal during a ceremony at the OTI conference room on Wednesday.

The launch forms part of the Team Unity’s anniversary celebrations to commemorate the administration’s 2nd year in office.

The United Nation’s 2016 e-Government Development Index (EGDI) survey offers a snapshot of trends in the development of e-Government in countries across the globe.

Importantly, it indicates that the Caribbean needs to critically examine its e-Government performance, which in a global context, is lagging.

According to an analysis of the 2016 EGDI scores by Michelle Marius, Editor and Publisher of ICT Pulse, ‘the Caribbean countries examined have considerably less developed e-Government structures than the top ranked countries. None of the countries in the region are within the top 50 and less than half of the sample group (only six) are within the top 100 ranked countries.’

The workshop, dubbed “GoSKN – Brightpath Mobile Applications Development Workshop”, will be hosted by the Ministry of Information Technology at the Marriott Hotel and will run from January 24 to 27.

Acting Director in the Department of Information Technology Christopher Herbert told SKNVibes that the workshop is a tangible expression of the vision of Prime Minister Dr. the Right Hon. Denzil L. Douglas and Minister of Information Technology Glen Phillip who envision a St. Kitts-Nevis knowledge-based economy.

The Government of National Unity launched the National ICT Governance Board and introduced the E-Government interactive platform on Thursday (February 19) at the Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) under the auspices of the Attorney-General and Minister of Communications, Honourable Vincent Byron Jr. The E-Government portal promises cost-effectiveness and time efficiency.

Held under the theme “Transforming a Nation through Technology and Innovation,” the launch was the first of its kind in St. Kitts and Nevis and came as a part of the government’s first anniversary week of activities celebrations. Guests were introduced to the members of the National ICT Governance Board and treated to demonstrations of the brand new E Government Portal which is the first of its kind in the region.

Government in the Caribbean to publish government related data through five distinct apps.

The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis, in the Caribbeans will roll out five mobile apps as part of its e-government thrust.

The apps will provide information on consumer affairs; crime prevention; information service; government-supported events; and include listings of the government directory. These will be officially launched on February 15.

During the launch of the programme on Tuesday, Minister responsible for Telecommunications and Information Technology Honourable Glenn Phillip told SKNIS that the country stands to benefit greatly from this exercise.

“What we intend to do in the future is to provide e-Government services that will enable our citizens to really interact with Government in a number of ways,” he stated, noting that it will allow for instant feedback as well as increase transparency. “Persons will be able to log on to whatever Government website and see exactly what is happening in different Ministries of the Government and so this is a step forward.”

Officials from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat spent February 3 and 4 at the National ICT Center dialoguing with officials from the public and private sectors and civil society on the draft Regional ICT4D (Development) Strategy Plan which is a five year policy document.

The Secretariat’s Senior Project Officer for ICT Development Jennifer Britton, told participants that the document dubbed the Regional Digital Development Strategy was crafted by the Regional ICT Steering Committee along with consultant Dr. Camilla Rhone. Ms. Britton added that the current tour of member states is designed primarily to familiarize citizens with the plans and to get a sense of the situation in each country.

Ophelia Blanchard, E-Government Coordinator in the Department of Information Technology outlined several areas within the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis’ Digital Transformation Strategy 2020-2022 noting that they are relevant to the Federation during COVID-19 and beyond.

“The need to strengthen the broadband infrastructure – as we note that, internet connectivity is a critical resource right now. Without that internet connectivity we would not be able to do work from home and even able to render this broadband live so we applaud the telecoms companies’ within St. Kitts and Nevis – Flow, Digicel, the Cable – for coming onboard and seeking to extend and build and strengthen our internet capacities throughout the different communities,” said Ms. Blanchard during the May 11 edition of the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Daily Briefing.

As most Caribbean islands seek to improve their information and communications technology (ICT) sector, Nevis is also aggressively developing their digital economy through e-government transformation.

The recent inauguration of Hon. Troy Liburd, first Minister of ICT, with responsibility for Education, Library Services and Information Technology in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), re-affirmed this island’s commitment to developing ICT and implementing 21st Century Government.

During the launch of the Information and Communication Technologies Governance Board, government officials and the members of the new ICT Governance Board addressed and explained the process of this new policy.

ZIZ understands that the ICT policy is a Public Private Partnership dubbed a “P-Three Partnership”.

ICT Policy Advisor, Pierre Bowrin explained that the Public Private Partnership helped to make the process easier as the board was able to use the technical skills of young locals in the federation.

On Wednesday government officials toured the Information and Communication Technology Centre in East Basseterre to get an update on the improvements underway at the location.

Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, and Resident Taiwanese Ambassador His Excellency George Gow-Wei Chiou were among the dignitaries touring the site to get an account of the work being done and the services that would be provided at the ICT Centre.

The plan to implement digital based health services was revealed during his address to delegates of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, the diplomatic corps, local ICT officials and invited guests at Tuesday’s (Sept 23) opening of the ICT week of activities at the Marriott Resort.

The premier, who is an avid user and proponent for technology being used to create greater efficiency, will hand over the first laptop purchased for students at the Montserrat Secondary School during the official opening ceremony scheduled for Monday, September 17 at the Montserrat Cultural Centre.

Team Unity makes great strides in building a ‘21st century government’ through technology development

Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Timothy Harris is representing St. Kitts and Nevis at a high-level summit in Antigua and Barbuda today, Jan. 16. The summit is focused on “Building 21st Century Governments” in the Caribbean through enhanced use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) – an approach that Prime Minister Harris’ administration is finding success with as others in the region look to St. Kitts and Nevis as a model.

A team of Information Technology (IT) consultants from the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) is presently in the Federation providing technical support to the Department of Information Technology in developing its Government Communications Network.

At the opening ceremony for a weeklong forum presently being held at the Customs Conference Room, officials from the Department of Information Technology, the CTU and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) are sensitizing key stakeholders about the objectives, activities and expected results of the Government Wide Area Network (G1) project.