ANTIGUA – In 2006, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of State with responsibility for Information, Broadcasting, Telecommunications, Science & Technology, Hon. Dr. Edmond A. Mansoor, envisioned an Antigua and Barbuda “in which all citizens and residents have access to information and knowledge”. Fast forward to 2010, and the Connect Antigua and Barbuda initiative, which was launched in December 2006 to bridge the digital divide in the twin island state, can now boast 18 community computer access centre’s, which allow residents within their jurisdiction to have free access to the internet and to computer technology.
In addition to the existing centre’s, Swetes and Bolans will be added to the list; and, for the communities still without centre’s, the Ministry’s retrofitted Coaster buses provide students in affected areas with all the benefits to be derived from the Connect Antigua and Barbuda Initiative.
It takes a plethora of skilled personnel to man these operations and the Ministry of Information has done so consistently. The Ministry’s sustained effort has resulted in the expansion of the Connect Antigua and Barbuda Initiative, as it has been providing Early Childhood Learning Institutions across Antigua and Barbuda with technology assistance, since May 2010, so that they too can maximize their operations through the use of computer technology.
The Ministry of Information’s Connect Antigua and Barbuda Initiative now seeks to take its assault against the digital divide further and will do so through the Technology For Communication, Education and Empowerment Initiative. This latest initiative is a partnership between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and regional telecommunications giant, Digicel, in which Digicel will provide 3000 homes and more than 5000 Government and Secondary School students across the communities of Grays Farm, Yorks, and Lower Gambles with free internet. The intent is to bring wireless internet access to schools and communities, some of which will be receiving such for the very first time.
The initiative was launched on September 30th, 2010 at a banquet held at the Multipurpose Centre.
Among those present were Honourable Dr. Edmond Mansoor and General Manager of Digicel- OECS North, John Delves. The project, which is valued in excess of 3.5million US dollars, is scheduled to begin as early as December 2010, and come to a completion by the year 2014.
Digicel, who has stated that their core ambition is “to deliver best value, best service and best network to their customers”, while continuously finding new and innovative ways to give back to their communities, is confident that the Technology for Communication Education and Empowerment initiative, will allow them to meet this mandate.
Antigua and Barbuda currently has a 36% internet penetration; and, a positive adjustment to this statistic is another goal that will be met through the Technology for Communication, Education, and Empowerment Initiative.
While the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and Digicel are confident that they can execute the task at hand within the next five years, both parties are even more excited about the improvements the increased internet penetration will bring to the lives and prospects of Antigua and Barbuda’s citizenry. For them, the value to be derived, in that regard, is immeasurable.
