Much Focus on ICT May 17

The Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce (MITEC) will join the rest of the world in observing World Telecommunication and Information Society Day on May 17, under the theme: ‘Connecting the Young.The Opportunities of ICT’.
Director General at MITEC, Karlene Francis told JIS News that the international focus would be on “raising awareness of the role of information communication technology (ICT) in reducing poverty, and creating opportunities for long term development, while highlighting the importance and urgency of providing access to ICT for the younger generation.”
To commemorate the day, the Director General explained that the Ministry would be collaborating with the Spectrum Management Authority, Office of Utilities Regulation, Ministry of Information and Development and other entities to host an exhibition “highlighting the work or the development of the telecommunication industry in Jamaica, with a focus on the young in terms of the opportunities that are available.”
The exhibition will be mounted on May 17 and 18 at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) building on Trafalgar Road and will then move to the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library at 2 Tom Redcam Drive.
In addition to the exhibition, Miss Francis noted that there would be a supplement in the Daily Observer on Thursday with several features on Telecommunication in Jamaica. “We want to focus on the youth, and so in the National ICT Strategic Plan 2007-2012, which is in its draft stage, there is increased emphasis on education and youth involvement, so we see the youth as being a key factor,” she said.
“We know that unemployment among the youth is high and we know that ICT is one way of engaging the youth, and we will be focusing on that area as we implement the strategy,” the Director General pointed out.
Several strides have been made in Jamaica in keeping with the commitment to promote the use of information and communication technology as a key feature of development, including the government’s e-services programme.