US$11.1M spent on ICT hubs; 40% of project remains to be rolled out – PM

…215 of targeted 253 communities connected to high-speed internet

The cost for the 146 Information Communication Technology (ICT) hubs completed by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government since returning to office has been pegged at US$11.1 million.
During his recent end-of-year press conference, Prime Minister Brigadier (retd) Mark Phillips gave an update on Government’s ICT hubs’ programme. He said the ICT hubs are being built through the Hinterland Connectivity Programme for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities Project. For instance, of the US$17 million earmarked for the ICT programme, US$11.1 million has been expended so far, and 146 hubs have been completed. Over 1100 persons have also been trained to provide critical maintenance service for this project, including as ICT hub managers and technicians.

“Year to date, we’ve expended US$11.1 million. That’s some 66 per cent of the total expenditure for the project. You know the project would have been US$17 million, and year to date, we’ve expended US$11.1 million,” Phillips explained.
Meanwhile, 2024 had seen the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) connecting over 120 residents in mainly riverine communities to high-speed internet. This project, which cost over $1 billion, would allow residents to benefit from programmes that rely on internet, such as the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) courses, he detailed.
“The National Data Management Authority had a successful year, where they connected 215 out of a targeted 253 communities, who are now benefitting from the low orbiting high speed internet connectivity project,” the PM detailed.
“Those satellites, familiarly known as the Starlink devices, were installed, and we have 124 residents, mainly in our hinterland and riverine areas, benefitting from improved connectivity,” the Prime Minister explained.
He recalled that there had been times when those very communities were unable to receive internet connection. Now, he pointed out, those communities are able to benefit from high-speed internet.
“I can recall that, four years ago, when I was campaigning and I went to some of those communities, we tried connecting, and we were still connecting. We’ve reached a stage today where we are connected,” the PM said. “So, all those communities now have high speed internet. And all that we promised in terms of GOAL scholarships, telemedicine, etc, can now be realized by those communities. And we spent some $1.05 billion on that project.”
The Government of Guyana has been investing heavily in the ICT sector, which lays the foundation to enable Guyanese to take advantage of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) initiative.
In addition to faster internet connection on mobile and residential services, the Government has also reduced the cost of bandwidth across the country and removed the value-added tax on data and mobile devices, which had been a burden on students.
At a graduation ceremony held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) last year for over 1700 GOAL scholarship recipients, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh had stated that the students were able to complete their respective courses with little or no financial constraints.
The minister had also highlighted the various financial investments Government had made which had significantly assisted the graduates throughout their studies, including the new Telecommunications Act.
“If one were to reflect on the comprehensiveness of this PPP/C Government Policy Agenda, you might think of GOAL as a great initiative, but one of the first things that the President did was to bring into law a new Telecommunications Act,” the minister had said.
Dr. Singh explained that the legislation had immediately laid the foundation and set the stage for greater competition in the telecommunications sector, thereby easing the financial burdens on students.
The minister had also said that, as a result of this, fiber optic cables had been laid across the country as far as Crabwood Creek, Linden and the Essequibo Coast. This, he added, had made the internet more reliable; and without a doubt, the students had taken full advantage of that development. (G3)