In this our final Community Chat and final episode for 2021, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Ingrid Riley and Telojo (Telly) Valerie Onu, the panel discussed the ICT/technology trends and developments that were evident across the Caribbean region in 2021, and what might be in store for 2022.

 

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

Without a doubt, many of us were happy to see the back of 2020, in the hope that 2021 would be a considerably better year. Although the global health challenge, which started in 2020, continued into 2021, to a considerable degree, it would appear that we, as humans, have been rolling with the punches, accepting the status quo, and even leveraging it when it is to our benefit.

In the Caribbean region, and if you have been a regular reader of our weekly tech news roundup, you would not only have some insight into the latest ICT and tech developments across the region, but also you may have some an opinion about how the sector is evolving – either in specific countries, or in the region as a whole.

Similar to the practice we began when we started the Podcast in 2018, and in this episode, which is also our last Community Chat for the year, we are releasing our annual Caribbean ICT/tech trends briefing. In this episode, we are taking the opportunity to reflect on the year in Caribbean tech that is fast coming to an end, and are beginning to bring the upcoming year, 2022, into focus.

 

Introducing our guests

Ingrid Riley

Ingrid Riley is an Award-Winning Digital Media Entrepreneur,  Caribbean Tech Maven,  Syndicated Tech and Business Blogger, Podcaster, and  Event Producer. She’s behind SiliconCaribe -the trailblazing and disruptive digital media brand, that kickstarted the Tech Startup Scene in Jamaica, and that’s been influencing the growth of the Caribbean Tech Ecosystem and Digital Caribbean.

SiliconCaribe has been focused on the future of technology in Caribbean Business since 2007. With its Dow Jones syndicated technology blog, podcasts, a roster of technology events, annual lists, email newsletters, and online communities, it’s on a mission to amplify the people, ideas and business driving the rise of the Caribbean Digital Economy and to educate and inspire the next generation of Caribbean entrepreneurs and innovators.

For her work, Ingrid has received many awards including the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) 50Under50 Business Leader, and the TechLink Game Changer Caribbean Awards.

 

A financial innovator, Private Banker and Serial Entrepreneur, Telojo (Telly) Valerie Onu has been at the forefront of the digital financial innovation and ecosystem building with over 20 years’ experience as a financial and impact innovator, digital economist and digital transformation expert, thought leader and co-author of The Insurtech Book and The Wealthtech Book.

Telojo Valerie Onu

She is currently  the Head of Governance and Execution for the Bantu Blockchain Foundation, a Seychelles Foundation with offices in Lagos, Nigeria, which governs the Bantu Network Infrastructure. She is also the International Director of Governance and Compliance for the JD Euroway Finance Group (Private Banking), headquartered in Canada, and is also the Director of Governance and Compliance and Transactions Specialist for JDE FINEX, a regulated institutional digital asset exchange and liquidity provider.

Telly is the Founder of Valerie Capital formerly Beyond Capital Market, a Digital Financial Market Infrastructure (DFMI) and Digital Asset Management firm focused on embedded and alternative finance.  Additionally, she is Founder of Quintessence Consulting Inc, a global strategy and management consulting firm.

 

Insights into our conversation

This the first time Ingrid and Telly have been on the Podcast at the same time, and it was a joy to have them both. In previous years, they were guests for our end of year Caribbean ICT/tech trends briefing, and of course, they brought their A-game at those occasions. Today was no different, and the two shared their thoughts on, among other things:

  • What were the big ICT/tech issues of the year in the Caribbean region?
  • Were there issues that gained more traction than they had anticipated, and were there ones that fell short of their expectations?
  • What ICT/tech issues will be big in the Caribbean region in 2022?

Both Ingrid and Telly have a particular focus on the entrepreneurship and start-up space, and so through them, we are privy to some of the cutting-edge activities and developments that are happening here in the region. As a result and a consistent thread and takeaway from the conversation was the fact that we are living in exciting times. The world is on the cusp of a tech revolution, and so the Caribbean region needs to be more proactive in the space, lest it gets left behind.

 

We would love to hear from you!

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:  I Riley; T Onu;  Mariakray (Pixabay);  Raisin – Finance Stock Images (flickr);  Rebeca Zuñiga (flickr);  Gerd Altmann (Pixabay)

Music credit: Red Peas and Rice, Ray Holman

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez