Over $1.3B injected into boosting ICT in three years

The government has invested over $1 billion in information and communications technology (ICT) nationwide over three years, with key focus of ensuring equitable access for residents in hinterland and remote communities.

The investment was allocated to equipment, civil works, and training, as part of the ICT project through the Office of the Prime Minister.

This was disclosed by the Project Manager of the ICT Access and E-Services for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities Project, Ronald Harsawack, on Tuesday, at the Kamwatta Primary School, in the Moruca sub-district, Region One.

“While we are making investments here, we are also doing a lot more in Region One and the country as a whole. To date, in ICT we have invested over $1 billion across the country, and we plan to ramp up our activities and efforts,” the project manager stated.

Currently, a total of 138 ICT hubs have been constructed in various hinterland and remote communities in all 10 regions. The target is to construct a total of 200 hubs by the end of the year.

Villagers were also trained to effectively manage the facilities to support the hubs.

“We started an ambitious training programme, where close to 140 hub managers have been trained to monitor these facilities and to provide services to you when you go there; whether it’s to download stuff, print or aid in research, etcetera,” Harsawack said.

Just two weeks ago a community-based training was rolled out in Regions One, Four, and Eight, equipping residents with the necessary skills to operate a computer.

“We have done close to 160 people in other areas already. We have a target of 4,000 people we want to train as the first batch in basic ICT literacy,” the project manager noted.

This aspect of the learning session is expected to commence in the Moruca Sub-district in August to educate some 20 persons from each community during the first phase.

Harsawack noted that the ministry has since consulted with toshaos from various villages and is documenting the names of the residents who will be undergoing the course.

He further encouraged residents to take advantage of the training and to utilise the ICT hubs for academic and research purposes.