The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

CARIBBEAN nations must embrace the ICT sector if they are to improve their growth and development prospects, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union's (CTU) chairman said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference to highlight ICT Week-The Bahamas, which is being held at the Atlantis, Philip Dalsou said: "ICT is really the most dynamic sector, and we in the Caribbean must embrace the sector if we are going to move forward and improve our development and growth prospects. We have all witnessed first hand how ICT has transformed the economies and our behaviour."

He added: "We know that many of our traditional sectors are under threat, such as the offshore banking sector, and it is really incumbent upon us in the Caribbean to embrace ICTs and other technologies and move forward."

Mr Dalsou said one of CTU's biggest issues is the implementation of an ICT single space. "We do have a road map, and our focus must be on how we implement this ICT single space because we believe it will bring tremendous benefits," he added.

Around 100 participants, inclusive of policy makers and ICT experts from throughout the Caribbean are participating in ICT Week- The Bahamas, the highlight of which is the 16th Caribbean Ministerial ICT seminar. The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to supporting the development of the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) sector across the region.