A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 24 May to Sunday 30 May 2021.
Monday, 24 May 2021
CARICOM Youth Excited About Single ICT Space
Caribbean – As we continue our activities in observance of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (May 17) under the theme ‘Accelerating Digital Transformation in Challenging Times’, we sought the views of a sampling of regional youth on the CARICOM Single ICT Space… more
Representation & Equality In the Workplace
Caribbean – The goal of ensuring women are employed in the ICT sector is not simply about representation and equality in the workplace. It’s about something more fundamental… more
Susanna O’Sullivan – Going with the Flow
Jamaica – UNLIKE her six siblings who read for ‘traditional’ degrees at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Susanna O’Sullivan studied psychology, which she described as an unusual speciality in her parents’ eyes… more
Lisa Agard confirmed as new TSTT CEO
Trinidad and Tobago – Attorney-at-Law, Lisa Agard, who has been acting Chief Executive Officer at TSTT since September last year, has been officially confirmed in the post, effective today, May 24th, 2021… more
Local providers see increased demand for home internet
Trinidad and Tobago – The COVID-19 pandemic has no doubt changed the balance of how we communicate, conduct commerce and seek entertainment… more
New Payments Systems Bill coming
Trinidad and Tobago – The Central Bank last week issued a policy proposal document on the development of a modern and comprehensive Payments Systems Bill and accompanying regulations for Trinidad and Tobago… more
Tuesday, 25 May 2021
Aerospace engineer and STEM champion to deliver UB Commencement address
Bahamas – Bahamian-American aerospace engineer and entrepreneur Aisha Bowe will address more than 600 members of the Spring 2021 Commencement Class of University of The Bahamas (UB) during the university’s virtual commencement ceremony scheduled for May 27, 2021… more
BAMSI and CyberTech partner for skills training
Bahamas – Almost 20 staff members of the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) on New Providence and Andros recently received certificates of completion from CyberTech Community College, an initiative that was promoted and sponsored by BAMSI… more
Urgent need for cybersecurity vulnerability assessments
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Madam: The coronavirus pandemic has exposed many global digital networks to possible attacks from cyber criminals… more
Flow Welcomes New Commercial Manager to St. Kitts & Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The Flow family in St. Kitts and Nevis welcomes Ms. Lorraine Mitchell as Commercial Manager for St. Kitts & Nevis. Ms. Mitchell brings a wealth of experience in marketing and telecommunications to the Federation having joined Cable & Wireless since 2005… more
D’Market moving on
Trinidad and Tobago – AS this country grapples with the upsurge in Covid-19 cases, citizens are gravitating to online shopping, especially for food supplies, in order to curb the spread of the virus… more
Wednesday, 26 May 2021
Hundreds Attracted To Virtual Conference
Bahamas – HUNDREDS of delegates from across the Caribbean attended the virtual RF Economic Outlook on May 6 under the theme, Global Digital Disruption: Threat or Opportunity… more
MODERN SHOPPING: Digital payments via Kanoo now accepted at some AML food stores
Bahamas — Residents on New Providence can now transact digitally via Kanoo’s digital platform at Solomon’s Super Centre, located on Old Trail Road; Solomon’s Yamacraw; and Solomon’s Lucaya on Grand Bahama, thanks to a partnership between AML Foods Limited and Kanoo… more
SunCash partners with govt to facilitate DigiPay payments
Bahamas – SunCash penned an agreement with the government of The Bahamas this week to facilitates its DigiPay platform payments… more
Road map to cybersecurity — Take one
Caribbean – We are back. This time we are talking about security, cybersecurity, that is… more
‘URGENT NEED TO STRENGTHEN INTERNET INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CARIBBEAN’ BY GERARD BEST
Caribbean – As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the Caribbean, a regional group of computer experts is calling for more to be done to keep critical systems secure, resilient and accessible in the face of mounting threats… more
Build more resilient education infrastructure
Jamaica – THE significant disruption the pandemic has unleashed on the education sector has revealed the urgent need to build a more resilient infrastructure through digital technology… more
Courtney Hamilton leads Huawei Enterprise Jamaica
Jamaica – For Courtney Hamilton, director of Enterprise Business at Huawei Jamaica, embracing new technologies and applying them is the way to evolve in today’s world… more
Education, technology and the transformation of work in the CARICOM region
Jamaica – May is the month in which the spotlight is shone on labour, the world of work. May 1, May Day, in many countries, including in member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), was International Labour Day… more
Harvard MBA is new Tech Beach director
Jamaica – TECH Beach Retreat has added Eric Sonnier, a Harvard Business School graduate, as a director of their accelerator programmes. Sonnier boasts over a decade of experience in building and scaling tech companies… more
Influencers making money
Jamaica – Once upon a time, only credentialed people were considered influential, so it wasn’t unusual for handsome payments to be paid to celebrities or high-profile television and radio personalities to endorse brands… more
IT pros encourage ongoing ICT development at Hackathon
Jamaica – Girls charting a career path in Information and Computer Technologies (ICT) are being encouraged to continuously refresh their IT education and training to maintain pace with dynamic changes within the sector… more
TWAIN RICHARDSON — STREET SMART TO TECH SMART
Jamaica – Twain Richardson is a Jamaican editor and colourist who has made an indelible mark as a leader within the technology industry, having over 10 years of knowledge and experience in video post-production… more
Suriname takes top 2 placings in Caribbean Girls Hackathon
Suriname – After months of challenging over 700 girls around the region to develop tech solutions to pressing regional issues, the Caribbean Girls Hack TechnoCreativity Hackathon 2021, came to a nail biting close with its final Caribbean Girls Virtual 3D Hackathon finals on Saturday, May 8th… more
AMCHAM committed to making T&T a digital hub
Trinidad and Tobago – “We will not sit by and hope for diversification ‘to happen’. We will not sit by and hope for investment to come into T&T. We will work hard, and we will work tirelessly to make these a reality… more
The truth about the internet
Trinidad and Tobago – Where would we be without Facebook, hotmail and YouTube – without instantaneous sharing and tweets that spark controversy? To be honest, I am not sure… more
Thursday, 27 May 2021
Lockdown laptops arrive, more ordered
Cayman Islands – More than 2,500 laptops, ordered last year to assist local students who were then under COVID restrictions, have arrived and are being prepared for distribution… more
Agriculture ministry launches online customer feedback system
Jamaica – The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has launched an online Customer Feedback System so that farmers and fishers across the island can have access quality customer care services… more
Roots Financial Group buys into J’can subsidiary of WiPay Caribbean
Jamaica – Jamaican start-up financial holding Roots Financial Group has taken a five per cent equity stake in the local subsidiary of financial technology company WiPay Caribbean… more
Film & Folklore Fest goes online
Trinidad and Tobago – THE Film and Folklore Festival (FFF) is partnering with Digicel to bring this year’s edition to the phones and homes of many… more
Huawei hosts Internship Recruitment Event for T&T Graduates
Trinidad and Tobago – Huawei, a leading global ICT solutions provider, hosted a local Graduate Virtual Recruitment Event on Monday 24th May, as part of the company’s ‘ICT Talent Development’ scheme in Trinidad and Tobago to attract talent to its Huawei T&T Graduate Internship Programme… more
Friday, 28 May 2021
Cayman company Virtual Sonics offers 3D audio tech
Cayman Islands – Virtual Sonics Inc., a TechCayman-sponsored start-up is ramping up efforts to promote its 3D spatial audio technology as it looks to further develop the software from its Cayman base… more
As Jamaica goes digital, cheques lose appeal
Jamaica – The pandemic-induced shift towards digital transactions has resulted in a dramatic decline in the usage of cheque to pay for goods and services for the first two months of this year, to nearly half the levels of previous periods… more
Denise Stewart Celebrates Birthday By Donating Tablets To Needy Students
Jamaica – To celebrate her 39th birthday in April, Denise Stewart, a Jamaican living in the United States (US), decided that she wanted to do something that would be impactful… more
Jamaica Central Bank to introduce digital currency next year
Jamaica – The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) said it anticipates that the introduction of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), scheduled for next year, will serve to bolster government service delivery and boost financial inclusion for a greater number of Jamaicans… more
Rotary Club of Spanish Town donates tablets to St Catherine students
Jamaica – The Rotary Club of Spanish Town on Wednesday, May 26, donated 20 tablets to high school students in St Catherine… more
VMIL willing to take the plunge with cryptocurrency
Jamaica – Victoria Mutual Investments Limited, VMIL, is awaiting guidance from financial regulators to determine whether it can provide an avenue for its clients to trade cryptocurrencies, which it views as an emerging asset class… more
Flow Launches New E-Learning Mobile Plan
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Telecommunications giant Flow launched an affordable prepaid E-learning plan on Tuesday 25th May 2021… more
Saturday, 29 May 2021
Govt signs contracts for Marco’s Alert system
Bahamas — In a bid to further enhance the capacity of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) in tracking missing children, the government last week signed a $1.9 million contract with MultiMedia Technology. more
ECCB Dialogues: Businesses need to be digital first to be competitive and resilient
Caribbean – The ECCB digital currency pilot project was launched to address the relatively high cost of current payment methods and banking services, inadequacy of banking services in addressing the needs of various customers and inefficient methods of settling cheque transactions, which slow the pace of commerce… more
Education Ministry gets 12 tablets, face masks from Bresheh Limited
Jamaica – Twelve computer tablets were handed over to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information on Friday to further boost the Government’s ‘One Laptop or Tablet Per Child’ initiative… more
Sunday, 30 May 2021
Cedric Stephens | Cyber insurance can help
Jamaica – Today’s article, even though it was conceived last November, is the by-product of a piece that I wrote in this newspaper 11 years ago titled ‘Many Dangers Lurking in Cyberspace – Managing the Threats’… more
Flow resolves Internet complaint
Jamaica – Dear Claudienne, I have been trying to get Flow Internet service from September 2020 without success… more
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