In this Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Bianca Welds and Angus Steele, the panel discusses: emerging innovations, the industries being disrupted and the reaction of the incumbent players, and the state of electronic (e-)waste in the Caribbean.

 

This episode is also available in Apple iTunes and on Stitcher!

Innovation.  It is an attribute that has become valued and lauded; and countries, including those across the Caribbean region, have been eager to promote it among their citizens. However, advocating for greater innovation, and fostering its realisation and the changes that inevitably would eventuate, are two completely different things.

Most Caribbean countries have struggled to support innovation when it comes knocking on their door, although it is something for which they have been advocating. To a considerable degree, the needed policy and legislative framework have not been put in place, and so the enabling environment – to truly foster innovation – does not exist. Further, the incumbent players tend to be severely opposed to innovation in their industries, as they are not only protecting the status quo, but their bread and butter as well.

On the other hand, whilst innovation has been a buzzword across the region for the past few years, very little has been said about electronic (e-)waste. In most Caribbean countries, old televisions, smartphones, laptop and desktop computers, to name a few, are being placed in garbage dumps and landfills, without taking into consideration the impact not only on the environment, but also on our water supply, along with plant and animal health.

However, the absence of policies addressing e-waste tends to speak to a larger issue:  the extent to which Caribbean countries are environmentally-minded – through the policies that have been established; the emphasis on recycling; and the attendant support for innovation, as part of a wider waste management framework.

The above is context for the two topics discussed in this Community Chat, which were submitted by our guest panellists:

Bianca Welds, who is based in Jamaica. She is a long-time coder, and the Founder of L’Attitude Studios, which provides web design services for those in the creative space, and Creative L’Attitude, the associated consulting arm. Bianca is also the Local Director for Founder Institute Jamaica, which is a launch accelerator for tech start-ups, and the topic she submitted for discussion was Emerging innovations, the industries being disrupted and the reaction of the incumbent players.

 

Angus Steele

Angus Steele, a telecoms industry veteran, who has held positions such as General Manager of LIME St Vincent and the Grenadines and LIME Grenada, both of which now operate under the brand, Flow. Currently, he is the Managing Partner of Island Consultancy Services in Grenada, which offers project management, advisory and planning services, network design and implementation services, to name a few.  Angus was keen for us to discuss the state of Electronic waste in the Caribbean, a topic that he himself had been giving considerable thought.

 

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Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Image credits:  alles (Pixabay);  B Welds; A Steele

Music credit:  Ray Holman