T&T benefits from Commonwealth ICT Programme

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad and Tobago, through the Ministry of Science and Technology, has championed technology-enabled development in Commonwealth countries via the recently-concluded Commonwealth Connects (CC) Programme. Established in 2006, the Programme advanced information and communication technology (ICT) development in Commonwealth Member States, particularly the developing Member States. Trinidad and Tobago was an active participant in the CC Programme from its inception and chaired the Programme’s Steering Committee from 2011 until the close of the programme in January 2014. Dr. the Honourable Rupert Griffith served as Trinidad and Tobago’s representative and Chairman of the Steering Committee from June 2012 to its conclusion.

The CC Programme aimed to support sustainable development through the use of technology by facilitating the sharing of ICT resources, assisting the development of ICT strategies and promoting private sector and multi-stakeholder partnerships. Under Minister Griffith’s leadership, the CCP implemented projects such as the Commonwealth Multi-purpose Telecentre Initiative, the Electronic/Mobile-Governance Strategy Development Toolkit and the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative which served to help developing countries overcome challenges encountered in bridging the digital divide.

Trinidad and Tobago has been a double beneficiary of the Programme. In 2013, under the aegis of the Multi-purpose Telecentre Initiative, £30,000 in grant funding was provided toward the establishment of the Ministry of Science of Technology’s first Star.tt ICT access centre in Penal. This first centre provided a template for three additional Star.tt centres located in Marac, Guayaguayare and Cumana and also served as the template for similar centres in other Commonwealth nations. Similarly, in 2008, Trinidad and Tobago was the recipient of a £50,000 grant for the establishment of a Computer Refurbishment Programme. In 2012, the scope of the project was expanded to consider the wider issue of e-Waste and the funding has been redirected towards the commissioning of a feasibility and scoping study for an e-Waste Management Programme for Trinidad and Tobago.

During a recent independent evaluation of the Commonwealth Connects Programme, Minister Griffith opined that “Trinidad and Tobago is economically and socially successful due in a large measure to ICTs. Therefore, it was a privilege to chair this Committee, whose objectives were relevant to the needs of the developing countries which comprise the majority of the Commonwealth’s membership.” In supporting the revival of the Commonwealth Connects Programme, he underscored, to the evaluators, the need for greater collaboration and coordination among members which would facilitate greater efficiency in the use of resources.

Taken from News.Gov.TT