In this our final Community Chat and final episode for 2019, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Telojo (Telly) Valerie Onu and Carlton Samuels, the panel discussed the ICT/technology trends and developments that were evident across the Caribbean region in 2019, and what might be in store for 2020.

This episode is also available in Apple iTunes, Google Play Music and on Stitcher!

In this our final podcast episode for 2019, and consistent with what we did last year, we thought it opportune to reflect on the year that will be soon coming to an end – from a ICT/tech perspective.

If you are a regular visitor to ICT Pulse, you would be aware of many of the big ticket issues across the Caribbean region this year: blockchain; financial technology; digital transformation; digital economy; and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single ICT Space. However, there were several other, just as important, issues that may not have become buzz words, but have had considerable impact in the region. So in our last episode for 2019, we explored the Caribbean tech trends and developments this year with two excellent guests:

Telojo Valerie Onu

Telojo (Telly) Valerie Onu is a Digital Economist, Global Strategist and Management and  Development Specialist, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Quintessence Consulting Inc. Telly was one of our first guests on the Podcast, when we launched last year. She is originally from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, but has been based in Saint Kitts and Nevis for the past several years.

Carlton Samuels

Carlton Samuels is an International Consultant who specialises in areas such as Technology in Business Strategy, ICT Policy Development, Business Process Re-engineering and ICTs in Education. He also does a considerable amount for work in ICT for Development (ICT4D), Internet Governance and Technology in Education spaces. Carlton is from Jamaica, and heads Carlton Samuels and Associates.

Telly and Carlton both have a wealth of private and public sector experience in the Caribbean ICT/tech space, and tend to have their ears to the ground with respect to what is going on in the region. They were thus able to offer tremendous insights on the tech trends and developments that have emerged in the region – beyond the more hyped topics mentioned above. Hence, our discussions were guided by the following four questions:

  • What was ICT/tech issues were big in 2019 in the Caribbean?
  • Were there issues we thought would have gained traction, but either surpassed or fell short of our expectation?
  • What ICT/tech issues will be big in the Caribbean region in 2020?
  • What should policymakers make their priority, as it relates to ICT and technology, in 2020?

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:  Gerd Altmann (Pixabay) ;  T Onu;  ICANN (flickr)

Music credit:  Ray Holman