In this our September 2019 Community Chat and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Allison James and Craig Nesty, the panel discusses the need for disaster policies, as it relates to the provision of telecommunications services, and people, data and trust – the pillars of the new economy.

 

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

Welcome to our September 2019 Community Chat! The Community Chat is a monthly episode on the ICT Pulse Podcast in which members of the Caribbean ICT/tech community are invited to submit and discuss ICT/tech-related topics pertinent to the region. As has been said before, seemingly diverse topics may get flung together, but usually, and quite surprisingly, through the ensuing discussion, they appear to complement each other. This episode is not different.

 

The need for a disaster policy as it relates to the provision of telecommunications services

Our first topic is opportune, noting the devastation experienced in Abaco and Grand Bahama, in the Bahamas, due to Hurricane Dorian. Further, as at the time of publishing – and although we are almost at the end of September – Tropical Storm Karen wreaked havoc in parts of the southern Eastern Caribbean earlier in the week, and passed near Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. We also have Hurricane Lorenzo, which although it is still in the middle of the Atlantic, and is not projected to be a threat to the Caribbean region, it still reminds us that we are not yet out of the woods, with respect to the North Atlantic Hurricane Season

To that end, we are lucky to have Craig Nesty back on the show. Craig is the Executive Director of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of the Commonwealth of Dominica, which is the telecoms regulator in Dominica, in the Eastern Caribbean.

Craig was on the podcast last year to discuss Dominica’s recovery following Hurricane Maria in 2017. However, as the regulator, and having had first-hand experience of the relief and recovery effort following widespread devastation, Craig is acutely aware of the importance of citizens having access to telecoms service – particularly at such a challenging time.

 

People, Data and Trust – Pillars of the New Economy

With regard to our second and final topic, the impetus for its submission was the continued buzz across the Caribbean region with respect to digital transformation. However, although many discussions have occurred, and continue to occur, on this subject, the majority of them are happening at the policy and technocrat level.

Our guest panelist, Allison James, is of the view that although the man on the street might have heard the term, ‘digital transformation’, he has no tangible understanding for what the term actually means. More importantly, in not knowing what it means, the average citizen would be unable to contribute to such a society or economy.

We had Allison as a guest on our January 2019 Community Chat. Allison is a Manager at KPMG for Barbados and Eastern Caribbean countries, and is based in Barbados. She has a hybrid background as a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Information Systems Auditor.

So, Allison is of the view that more needs to be said about our region’s move to a digital economy, especially with regard to creating a more inclusive space so that citizens have a better understanding of, among other things, what digital transformation is, and its implications to them.

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse

 

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:  Joe007 (Pixabay);  NTRC Dominica;  A James;  

Music credit:  Ray Holman