Close digital divide with deeper tech investments, says Holness
Published:Friday | June 24, 2022 | 12:12 AM
Prime Minister Andrew Holness used Wednesday’s Commonwealth Business Forum to turn the spotlight on the digital divide crippling the economies of small island developing member states in an attempt to urge assistance.
Holness said that beyond the first-level divide, which is a lack of universal access to the Internet, the rapid advancement of technologies in what he described as the fourth industrial revolution is creating a second-order chasm.
He said that this is along the lines of human resource capacity and skill base to create and apply digital technology to economic growth and sustainable development.
“Many in our societies are not digital natives, nor are they digitally literate. For the developing world, too many of our people are only consumers of ICT technology and not creators and are also not leveraging technology to create greater economic value,” said Holness, who was a keynote speaker at the event held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Noting that the Internet and digital technologies are critical drivers of wealth creation, Holness urged Commonwealth governments to be deliberate in ensuring that these are equitably accessible to all citizens, warning, at the same time, that limited access could influence knowledge poverty.
LACK OF TECHNICAL SKILLS AN ISSUE
He said that despite efforts to bridge the gap in Jamaica, through the build-out of its national broadband backbone to facilitate the roll-out of high-speed Internet access, the lack of technical skills remains prevalent and is an immediate constraint on the country’s economic development.
“This stands true in other Commonwealth countries, making the need to equip our population with the requisite digital skills an increasingly critical priority,” he told Commonwealth heads of government and global business leaders.
Holness pointed out that within the 54-member bloc, countries are at various stages of digital development and maturity, with some on the cutting edge.
He said that one of the priorities of the Commonwealth must be to support and accelerate the digital development of all members, particularly in governance and regulation.
“Each country within the Commonwealth must place significant emphasis on improving its telecommunications and ICT sectors and design bolder plans to digitalise services and promote greater digital inclusion, in partnership with our private sector and innovators,” he urged.
Still, eliminating digital inequality must have at its core gender equality, he said, the goal of which is to maximise social inclusion by enhancing the participation of women and girls in all areas of development and supporting women’s entrepreneurship in digital business and work.
He also underscored that digital technologies provide an attractive avenue for boys and young men who leave the formal education system and have become embroiled in antisocial behaviour.
“We must push for STEM programmes in our schools that provide the necessary support for the next generation of designers, coders, and software developers,” the prime minister said, referring to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“As part of the process of inclusion, keen attention must be paid to the needs and concerns of persons with disabilities in accessing and using digital technology,” he added.