Over 1600 persons have been instructed in various facets of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) this year through the Office of the Prime Minister’s Industry and Innovations Unit.
This includes basic community-level ICT training, which has been conducted in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and 10, the Hinterland Train the Trainers initiative, ICT innovation Camps, Guyanese Girls Code and Computer Literacy Skills Training for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Recognising that ICT forms an integral part of everyday life on a global scale, the Unit consistently innovates platforms and programmes meant to strengthen its usage to contribute to Guyana’s socioeconomic development.
In the first half of the year, the Government invested a total of $1.6 billion in the advancement of the ICT sector.
This amount encompassed several other flagship initiatives, such as the implementation of the national electronic identification system, and the Guyana Coders Initiative, in partnership with the United Arab Emirates.
Additionally, with the necessary training, the Government has also prioritised the building of resilient infrastructure to support the expansion of internet access.
The ICT Access and e-Services for Hinterland, Poor & Remote Communities Project continues to live up to its mandate of providing ICT access and electronic services to these communities, throughout the country.
ICT hubs are being erected in every region, complete with photovoltaic equipment. Additionally, the project sees the training of residents, to manage these hubs.
The project has this year completed 110 ICT hubs in the ten administrative regions. Of the 110, 98 hubs have been operationalised.