(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The World Bank on Wednesday presented a programme to the Caribbean that would support initiatives for improved Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) within the Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM).

The project concept for the Caribbean Regional Communications Infrastructure Programme (CARCIP) was officially presented to the region at a workshop at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in St. Michael, Barbados. The workshop, which opened on 17 November, was held at the conclusion of the Fifth Meeting of the Regional Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Steering Committee.

The World Bank was engaged in bi-lateral discussions with various countries, but only on Wednesday officially disclosed the project to a wider regional grouping.

CABLES for a high speed fibre optic network from Brazil to Corentyne,  Berbice, being funded by the Government of Guyana, arrived in the country last week. Project Engineer Alexei Ramotar said the consignment for the 560 kilometres stretch is awaiting clearance by the Customs and Trade Administration, after which testing will begin.
He said installation will start when the acceptance test per reel is completed and the entire project, for the landing and use of the second fibre optic cable in the country, is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2011.

Kingston, Jamaica, July 20, 2010 – The Jamaica government is focusing on the rollout of a broadband backbone in the short-term to ensure adequate connectivity throughout the island.

Minister with Responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Daryl Vaz, says the move is in keeping with the government’s Vision 2030 National Development Plan, which designates information and communications technology (ICT) as a priority area for development as a major industry and an enabler for all other sectors.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, CMC – There is an urgent need for investment in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to help bolster the prospects for Caribbean economies, says the chief executive officer of the Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles.

“Today more than ever, technology and specifically Information and Communication Technology is considered one of the main factors contributing to the economic recovery and sustained growth,” Emsley Tromp told delegates attending the 26th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organisations (CANTO) being held here.

Tromp said the need for ICT investment is critical at this time to help regional countries recover from the economic downturn over the past two years.

New York, May 10 2010 12:05PM
Information and communication technologies, such as high-speed internet, can help drive social and economic development and accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals , the head of the United Nations telecommunications agency said today.

“The truly transformational power of broadband networks can help us get the MDGs back on track,” Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), told the opening of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Forum.