In our May 2025 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Communications Strategist, Liselle Yorke, who is based in the United States but originally from Trinidad and Tobago, and Rojane Rose, a Product Manager in Jamaica, the panel discusses the following three topics: Who’s watching our data? AI in the Caribbean: hype or opportunity? And Building Smart Islands: Why aren’t we there yet?
This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music!!
For those of you who work in the tech space, it is easy to be very focused on your specific field or segment and not fully appreciate the full breadth of topics that fall under that umbrella. This podcast episode, and our monthly Community Chat at that, gives us an inkling of the diverse ICT-related issues the region must grapple with.
At some point, each of our subject areas would have been considered highly topical and would have been receiving considerable attention from policymakers, as well as the public and private sectors. In this episode, we are reminded that although a topic might no longer be as newsworthy, it may still be relevant, still evolving and thus, require our attention.
Introducing our guest
Rojane Rose is the Manager of Products at Flow Jamaica, where he leads the business-to-consumer (B2C) portfolio across Fixed Mobile Convergence, Postpaid Mobile, Internet, and TV services. He has a strong background in digital product design, development, strategy, innovation, and go-to-market execution. Rojane plays a pivotal role in shaping customer-centric experiences and driving product growth in Jamaica’s telecommunications landscape.
He has previously led major fintech product design and rollouts, including mobile wallet development and digital transformation initiatives, and brings a unique blend of commercial acumen and technical insight to the regional landscape. Rojane is passionate about building inclusive digital ecosystems across the Caribbean and using technology to solve real-world challenges.
Liselle Yorke is a mission-driven Communications Strategist with a deep commitment to sustainable solutions that benefit underserved communities. Based in the U.S., she has written about harnessing ICT for innovation in developing economies. She has 20 years of experience developing and executing communication strategies for non-profit organisations, with a particular focus on financial inclusion and social development.
Liselle has also consulted with and provided pro bono communications support to various organisations in the Washington, D.C. area, including the Institute of Caribbean Studies and the University of the West Indies Alumni Association. She earned her master’s degree in communications at Howard University and holds an undergraduate degree from the University.
The topics discussed
The impetus for our first topic, “Who’s Watching Our Data?”, was the ongoing shakeup across the United States Government that has not only resulted in the closure of important departments or offices but also the loss of, or at the very least loss of access to, crucial data that these bodies had collected and reports they produced. Our discussion focused on the Caribbean region with two lenses emerging: that related to citizens’ comfort level with how their personal data is being handled, and the blind spot that appears to exist regarding how critical data that informs important society decisions is managed and protected.
Our second topic reflects the attention artificial intelligence (AI) has been receiving over the past several months. Most pundits are of the view that AI is the next best thing since sliced bread and are encouraging individuals and organisations to embrace this technology. However, it could be argued that we have seen this before: blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, etc., which were all touted as the best thing ever, but now are no longer top-of-mind. The topic, “AI in the Caribbean: Hype or Opportunity?”, allowed us to explore the continuing phenomenon that is AI and whether Caribbean countries have begun to hone in on the opportunities that can be realised.
Finally, although it has been a while since the terms “Smart Island”, “Smart City” or “Smart Nation” were buzzwords in the Caribbean region, realising a digitally smarter society is still an important goal of most countries worldwide. About eight to ten years ago, many Caribbean countries were implementing projects to become smarter, but not much is currently in the public domain on what has been achieved and whether our societies have indeed become smarter. So our final topic was, “Building Smart Islands: Why aren’t we there yet?”
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.
Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.
Let’s make it happen!
Select links
Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise might be useful
- Liselle Yorke
- Rojane Rose
- USAID Demographic and Health Surveys Country List
- Pan American Health Organization article, Open data for Caribbean health
- ICT Pulse Podcast episode, ICT 351: The art of the possible – AI in the Caribbean, with Dr Curtis Charles of the UWI Five Islands Campus
- Jamaica Information Service article, Smart City Project a Testament to Innovation, Progress – Dr. Morris Dixon
- TechNewsTT article, Arima’s first step toward becoming a smart city
- The Gleaner article, ACP Chambers unconvinced by MoBay’s ‘smart city’ aspirations
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism article, Nassau Cruise Port and Downtown Nassau GO SMART with New Wi-Fi Network
- Jamaica Information Service feature, New Kingston To Be Declared Jamaica’s First Smart City
Images credit: L Yorke; R Rose; Tumisu (Pixabay); Freepik; Tran Thao An (Pixabay)
Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell
Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez
