The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is pushing for a multi-stakeholder-led national Information & Communication Technology (ICT) plan ahead of the highly anticipated liberalization of the country’s telecommunications sector.
At last week’s periodic business briefing between the Chamber and Stabroek Business, its President Lance Hinds said that as the society continues increasingly to contemplate the eventuality of a liberalized telecommunications sector, there is need for a “wide-ranging and comprehensive national ICT plan” that takes account of the need for all of the various sectors to maximize their respective benefits from liberalization.
Hinds stated that given the fact that ICT is “a cross-cutting element” across all of the sectors of the Guyana society there is need to ensure that a liberalized ICT sector not only impacts areas like education, health, manufacturing, trading, commerce “and other critical facets of national life” but also that it “sets out to make Guyana attractive as an investment destination.”
Hinds said that the Chamber was “encouraged” by the indications that the Telecommunications Liberalization Bill would be laid before the National Assembly this year. Hinds said it is now desirable that information is placed in the public domain regarding when negotiations between the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) will begin.
