Who makes the rules that shape our digital world, and how do we ensure the Caribbean gets a say? In our latest podcast episode, we sit down with Nigel Cassimire, Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union and Coordinator of the Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF), to discuss how the internet governance space has evolved since our conversation in August 2025. Areas our conversation covered included:  the outcomes from the Small Island Developing States Internet Governance Forum; the central themes and target outcomes for the upcoming CIGF; where Nigel falls in the debate on transitioning from “Internet governance” to “digital governance”; and the one unresolved question he would want to see progress on at the CIGF 2026.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.

When we think of “governing” the internet, it is easy to picture tech giants in Silicon Valley or regulatory bodies in Geneva making decisions behind closed doors. Yet, every time a small business in the Caribbean adopts cloud technology, a citizen navigates online public services, or an island community fights to stay connected during a hurricane, they are experiencing the direct impact of Internet Governance (IG). At its core, Internet Governance is not about server protocols or network architecture; it is the collective framework of policies, technical standards, and shared rules that shape how our digital world operates, ensuring it remains open, secure, resilient, and accessible to all.

For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), in particular, active participation in Internet Governance is no longer optional. It is a matter of economic survival and national resilience. Regional and national Internet Governance Forums (IGFs), such as the Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF) and the multi-regional SIDS Internet Governance Forum (SIDS IGF), provide a critical mechanism to ensure that the perspectives of small islands and developing economies are not overshadowed on the global stage. Further, because these forums use a multistakeholder model, which brings together governments, civil society, the technical community, academia, and the private sector, diverse voices from across developing regions of the world have a seat at the table and can collectively influence policy rather than merely following rules designed elsewhere.

This localised dialogue is happening at a pivotal moment in global tech history. Worldwide, digital policy is undergoing a seismic shift driven by the rise of artificial intelligence, data sovereignty concerns, and international efforts to formalise global digital cooperation through frameworks like the United Nations Global Digital Compact and the ongoing World Summit on the Information Society+20 review process, much of which we have discussed in earlier podcast episodes and articles here on ICT Pulse.

In our latest episode of the ICT Pulse Podcast, we sit down with Nigel Cassimire, Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and long-standing Coordinator of the CIGF, to unpack how the region is answering these questions—and why the Caribbean’s voice in global internet governance matters now more than ever.

 

Introducing our guest

Nigel Cassimire

Nigel Cassimire is a telecommunications engineer with over thirty years of experience in the technical, operational and executive management of telecommunications systems and services. He has an intimate understanding of a broad range of information and communications technologies and services, with practical experience in network and service planning, operations management and domestic and international telecommunications policy development.

As previously mentioned, Nigel currently serves as the Deputy Secretary-General and Head of Regional Policy Development at the CTU. He is also the Coordinator of the CIGF, which holds the remarkable distinction of being the longest continuously running regional IGF in the world.

At the CTU and in the role of Consulting Telecommunications Specialist, Nigel has worked extensively in developing and promoting harmonised Caribbean positions in the areas of spectrum management, Internet governance and ICT policy. He has also successfully conducted consultancies for several of the member governments of the CTU.

Nigel has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering as well as a Diploma in Management Studies from The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago. He is a fellow of the Telecommunications Engineering and Management Institute of Canada (TEMIC) and an alumnus of the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD, Fountainebleau, France,

 

Insights into our conversation

Whenever we need to be brought up to speed on the global happenings in IG, Nigel has been our point person. However, although we have been engaging him for several years – since the start of the Podcast in 2018 – there is still a sense that the importance of IG to the economic and physical survival of the Caribbean is not fully appreciated.

Notwithstanding, SIDS and developing economies have a seat at the IG table and can shape the policies that will be implemented to ensure that our needs and priorities are, at the very least, considered, but more importantly, incorporated into the global positions adopted. Further, it cannot be overstated how crucial the internet has become to our societies: from facilitating continued communication, coordination and access to help when disasters occur, to supporting advanced and emerging technologies that are reshaping our economies and the lives of citizens.

Below are key questions that drove our conversation with Nigel.

  1. Since you were on the Podcast in 2025, perhaps let us start with you giving an overview and update on what has been going on in the IG space.
  2. The SIDS IGF bridges Small Island Developing States across the Caribbean, Pacific, and the African, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and South China Sea regions. What were the most significant consensus points or unified stances that emerged from the recent SIDS IGF?
  3. Quantum computing was reportedly on the SIDS IGF agenda, which seems a bit unusual. Why is it there, and how far ahead is the region actually thinking?
  4. Climate change and digital sustainability were paired on the agenda. What does “digital sustainability” mean for a small island state facing climate risk?
  5. What are the central themes and target outcomes for this year’s CIGF, and what do you hope participants walk away with?
  6. Youth inclusion has become a major focus with the Caribbean Youth Internet Governance Forum (CYIGF) co-located alongside the main event. How are the recommendations from young Caribbean delegates actually being integrated into mainstream CTU policy decisions?
  7. There is an ongoing conversation in the IG community about whether we are transitioning from “Internet governance” to “digital governance” more broadly. Does the CIGF need to evolve its own identity to keep up?
  8. If you had to pick one unresolved question you want CIGF 2026 to actually make progress on, not just discuss, what would it be?

 

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:

 

 

Images credit:  CTU;  katemangostar (Magnific);  Gerd Altmann (Pixabay);  rawpixel.com (Magnific)

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez