“Education in particular can be seen to be made more available to the public as distance learning and online tuition offer citizens greater opportunities for self-improvement in an ICT-empowered society,” Griffith said. In order to realise the real and potential benefits an improved ICT sector affords, Griffith said, the Government has given its commitment to promote the integration of ICTs into our society by increasing the activities and prominence of entities intimately tied to the sector.
Griffith said years ago, when he served as minister of Information, he observed the potential of ICT to change this country. He said he felt a great sense of satisfaction today to witness T&T’s sustainability and its increased focus on harnessing ICT’s potential to the fullest for the national good.
He said, “SmartTT seeks to leverage ICT to encourage growth and transformation of our country, both from an economic and social nature. It is for this reason ICT stands out as such a remarkable tool with such major potential benefits.” The development of the ICT sector that SmartTT will afford, he said, could benefit T&T in several ways.
A developed ICT sector will improve a significant driving force for improved efficiency in the business sector as ICT tools allow for more efficient, innovative and productive use of resources by entrepreneurs and businessmen. Easier transfer and management of information, Griffith added, made for more efficient process and operations, which resulted in low operating costs, a scenario that benefited both merchant and consumer alike.
“A robust ICT sector also benefits Government as it allows for increased communication with the public and greater access to government services. Here in T&T, we can readily see this through initiatives such as TTConnect which enables citizens to access and apply for Government and state agency programmes and services online, via their mobile or through the TTConnect express, a mobile office on the go, powered by ICT,” Griffith said.
Meanwhile, Abita Phillip, chairman of iGovTT, was of the view that this country’s weakness in ICT was not necessarily a bad thing, at least, at this time. “I prefer to look at our weakness as opportunities to take advantage of, in order to drive the kinds of changes that we would like to see. The beauty about any responsible planning exercise is that it requires a focus on a future state of well-being.
“Through the development of the national ICT plan, the Government is not just looking after the needs of today, but preparing for and securing the welfare of citizens and business for tomorrow. “Therefore, I am pleased to say that the development of the national ICT plan, which itself has been guided by the country’s national development plans, is targeted for completion within this month,” he said.
Phillips added: “We are now more aware than before of the interest and issues of the business, academic, Government and civil communities as it pertains to the topic of ICT development within the country. “We are also well aware that implementation is also top of mind for the public.” He assured that iGovTT would work decisively within its sphere of influence to ensure the execution of the programmes.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Sean Nero
Quelle/Source: Trinidad Guardian, 15.07.2012
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