President Dr Irfaan Ali has stated that the Government’s ICT Master Plan would ensure that all sectors and stakeholders enhance their efficiency and productivity.
This drive, he pointed out, would ensure that the country moves forward in a cohesive and productive manner.
President Ali gave this reassurance while delivering the feature address at the first meeting of Guyana’s Information and Communication (ICT) Master Plan 2030 “Discovery kick off” on Wednesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
“We are bringing the entire ICT platform on one common agenda where all the stakeholders will be part of a singular platform to enhance efficiency, to improve productivity.”
This would include every sector from security to education and will be “second to none”. The platform will also put Guyana among the group of nations that utilise ICT as the main architecture in problem-solving.
The President added that the Government wants the country to have the most efficient, cost-effective and reliable platform that will aid in delivering the best possible goods and services to citizens.
Achieving this, he emphasised, requires the transformation of the country’s current ICT strategy.
“For us, it is not only about a software or having access to ICT potential, it is far larger than that. So the platform that we are going to build and the Master Plan outlines the Government’s vision.”
INTEGRATION INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM
The Head of State said that one of the paramount aspects of the ICT strategy and master plan will be its integration into the school system. This, he said, will allow primary school students to start basic training in coding and as they progress to secondary school they will be exposed to training in software development.
“So ICT will be integrated into the lifecycle of the new generation of children in our country.”
The President added that persons who are not part of that generation will have to “come up to speed” with the infrastructure that will be in place to govern the way in which things are operated.
“The new generation that will come, will be coming up in this ICT framework in which their knowledge and their skillset are far different from what we were accustomed to because they will be trained to operate and work in new environments, in a new Guyana which ICT will play a catalyst in transforming the country.”
RESPONSIBILITY IN TRANSFORMATION
President Ali emphasised that it is important for the entire government machinery to understand the master plan and what the Government is hoping to achieve. He emphasised that they must understand their responsibility in the transformation.
“It requires all the ministers, all the permanent secretaries to migrate their thinking to this new vision. So instead of thinking in singular silos, you have to be thinking now in this new infrastructure, in this new plan that will govern the way in which you operate.”
He also noted that the master plan and improved infrastructure will help in project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, cybercrime, healthcare management, educational delivery and others. The President said it will also help to identify weaknesses in the system.
“It is also a tool that will help us to hold people more accountable to the performing of the functions and the way in which they work. So today I want us to take this exercise very seriously and to start thinking in this new way that you are now a part of a broader strategy.”
