…via ICT hubs
Residents of remote, hinterland and depressed communities, will over the next five years, be able to access government services online.
According to the Department of Public Information (DPI) this US$17M project is being funded under the Guyana/Norway Agreement by the GRIF fund, and it will be managed by the United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP).
Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes was quoted by DPI as saying that some 89,000 residents in approximately 170 communities will have access to more than 200 ICT hubs to be created over a 5-year period.
“In every single community we want residents to know that if they do not have internet service at home, they can visit a hub and access service free of charge”, Minister Hughes said.
Some of these services include e-services such as filing tax returns and applying for business compliance certificates among others. The Minister noted that the project will provide funding to start the expansion of the services.
“That project actually provides an increase in government services, online services that the government of Guyana will provide to its citizens. Most Guyanese will think of us providing passport services online but it goes into every possible affair that you can imagine,” Minister Hughes explained.
Another important component of the project is that it will allow a higher level of transparency.
According to DPI, the Public Telecommunications Minister expressed confidence that once, “these services are online… I am confident in time that is how we will start to eradicate the challenge of lack of transparency and corruption”.
