As Guyana moves to capitalise on the advances of the World Wide Web, citizens will no longer be required to travel vast distances to access many state services will be available online. This was revealed by Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes, as GTT launched its high speed Internet access in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Public Telecommunications Minister speaking at Anna Regina
Minister Hughes highlighted that access to these State services will improve quality of life, noting that Government will soon rollout the initiative to online platforms. This is slated to ease lines; lengthy waiting times and in many cases, long distances to travel.
“We are still refining the process but very soon you will not have to travel to Georgetown and join long lines just to be able just to submit your application for a passport – you’re going to be able to do either at your own computer at home or at any of the Wi-Fi hotspots or maybe at an ICT hub at a post office,” Hughes told a gathering at Anna Regina. She noted that the ICT hubs will be available at various locations across the country.
Minister Hughes further stated that passport applications will be the first of many Government services that will go digital.
“The objective is to place every single public service online including applications for birth, death certificates; driver’s licences; business compliance certificates; land, housing, mining and forestry permits; everything you could think of,” the Minister assured.
Hughes pointed out that her hope is that Guyanese will be tech savvy and ready to use the Internet. Certain services at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) are already available online.
It was March 1 that residents along the Essequibo Coast were officially able to access GTT’s LTE service which enabled web users to access online content at lightening speeds. At the company’s launch, two days prior, the Public Telecommunications Minister alluded to the benefits that the enhanced service would have in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), noting that with the service, will facilitate opportunities for business development, research and education. She also pointed to the benefits to E-commerce and encouraged farmers as well as entrepreneurs within the region to use the Internet as a way of finding online markets. “I truly believe that ICT will deliver the transformation within the Guyana and innovative ideas can come from all sectors,” Hughes told the gathering at Anna Regina last week.
