The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) recently held its 54th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors in Ottawa, Canada which was attended by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, and where Guyana’s efforts at digitalisation were lauded, a Ministry of Finance release stated yesterday.
The event, which commenced on Monday June 17 and ended yesterday, brought together the bank’s highest decision-making body, thought-leaders, innovators, academics, business leaders, policymakers, and government officials, for vital discussions to address issues pivotal to sustainable development efforts in the Caribbean region.
The meeting which was held under the theme, “Partnerships for Resilient Prosperity”, was chaired by Canadian Minister of International Development and the current chairman of the CDB’s Board of Governors, Ahmed Hussen, and was attended by over 300 participants from around the world. Its aim was the advancing a common vision to address global threats including climate change.
According to the release, this year’s annual meeting focused on the importance of regional and international collaboration as a driving force for sustainable development. Discussions also focused on gender equality, economic growth, private sector engagement and financing, disaster preparedness and how the financial institution can respond to the call for change as well as support the region’s development goals over the next ten years in spite of the challenges faced by the region. Many of the challenges, it noted, include the region’s continued recovery from the effects of COVID-19 and other global crises such as the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the devastating impacts of climate change which are likely to intensify.
In his remarks at the opening ceremony, the release said that Hussen acknowledged the efforts of Guyana’s Irfaan Ali-led government in the area of digitalisation and referenced the launch of the One Guyana Digital Skills Initiative Programme in March this year, for which Canada has provided support. This programme, the release informed, represents a significant investment in the future of Guyanese citizens, empowering them with valuable digital skills and opening doors to exciting employment opportunities in the rapidly evolving tech industry. Further, it aims to provide digital skills training to over 2,000 Guyanese and upon completion, participants are expected to emerge as full-stack developers, equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in the digital landscape.
Digitalisation is one of the top ten areas identified for attention during the next five to ten years by Governors of the region.
