An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) needs assessment project will get underway in hinterland and rural communities in Guyana soon, GINA said yesterday.
This follows a US$524,00o contract which was signed among the Government of Guyana, Germany-based Detecon Consultancy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Present at the signing yesterday were Resident UNDP Coordinator, Khadija Musa who co-signed the agreement alongside Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes and Stephan Dieter, Detecon International representative.
Under the rubric “ICT Access and e-Services for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities”, the project is a launching pad to find out among other things, what infrastructure, technical capacity, and legal framework exist in poor, remote and un-served areas in Guyana.
GINA said that during brief remarks Hughes pointed out that for many years Guyana had been behind the rest of the developing world because of the lack of technological resources to meet the demands and standards in almost every field of endeavour.
Hughes said that the project will be out for funding under the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF).
“Most of us know that for many years what happens on the coast and what happens in the hinterland regions vary vastly and in fact, when we look at sectors such as education, commerce development, our hinterland and remote communities have really not been able to stay on par…when I visited Surama last year I had an opportunity to purchase one of the most beautiful indigenous hammocks made by a group of women there…that lady who crafted that beautiful hammock is dependent on a few people to visit Surama and to actually purchase,” Hughes said.
Imagine what that young entrepreneur can do when she has access to technology, Hughes added.
The minister stated that the programme will provide for the installation of ICT infrastructure and networks for internet and telephony access for hinterland, poor, and remote communities. Training will also be provided not only for residents in those communities, but also for Government staff and entities, GINA said.
Musa said that the project focuses on connecting the coastland with the hinterland through ICT, in order to expand economic development.
To assist the Government in this process, GINA said that the UNDP conducted a competitive international bidding process. The UNDP received 14 expressions of interest from prospective bidders who participated in an online pre-bid conference where they were allowed to ask questions regarding the project. Of the 14 bidders, four firms submitted proposals.
