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Caribbean countries are under undeniable threat. Size, rising crime, porous borders, the effects of climate change, the flight of intellectual capacity and the dismantling of preferential trade arrangements with the resultant negative impact on the export of traditional products, are but a few of the vulnerabilities of the region. These challenges have been further compounded by the contagion of the global financial crisis and deepening economic fragility.
Caribbean leaders, having noted the shift to knowledge-based economy are determined to accelerate the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for advancing the economic and social development of the region.
No one can escape or ignore the phenomenal impact of information and communication technologies on every facet of human endeavour. As a region whose citizens are consumers of technology, it is imperative that we maximize the return on the investments we make in ICTs and that we exploit its potential to the fullest.
A study of the diffusion of new technologies will show that innovation is a significant factor for deriving maximum benefit from new technologies. If the Caribbean is to successfully incorporate ICTs in mitigating its vulnerabilities, capitalizing on its strengths and promoting its development, then a concerted effort must be made to be innovative in the application of ICTs to challenges of 21st century social and economic advance.
Many Caribbean governments by their policies and programmes have already embarked on activities designed to stimulate and encourage ICT growth and development. For example, the Antigua and Barbuda’s ICT Fest and Trinidad and Tobago’s Fast Forward programme are testimony to their respective Government’s commitment to ICT-enabled development. National initiatives notwithstanding, however, harmonized regional approaches to ICT development are necessary to maximize the use of scarce human and financial resources for the Caribbean to reap tangible and sustainable benefits for its citizens.
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