Monday, 24 April 2023

A New Digital Connect Center is Opened in Bullet Tree

Belize – On Friday, the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics and e-Governance officially opened a Digital Connect Center in Bullet Tree Falls, Cayo District… more

Choosing the best internet plan

Caribbean – In today’s high-speed world, having a reliable Internet connection is essential for both work and play. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the plan that’s right for you confidently. Don’t stress; we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to find top-notch advice as we break down the process of determining the perfect Internet package for your needs… more

ANNOUNCEMENT: Career Opportunity – Manager Information Technology

Dominica – The National Bank of Dominica Ltd is a leading indigenous bank in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). We are seeking a dynamic and progressive individual with the relevant skills and competencies to assume the position of Manager, Information Technology… more

Google executive to participate in FLOW’s Girls in ICT Day Expo

Jamaica – Senior Product Manager of Google, Natalie Bennett, will participate at FLOW’s Girls in ICT Day Expo next week… more

Tuesday, 25 April 2023

B.T.L. Introduces 4 G L.T.E. Advanced Mobile Site at Jaguar Paw

Belize – If you go hiking often in the Jaguar Paw area and have a Digicell phone, well now you’ll be in touch anytime, all day while there… more

Cyber security threats on the rise

Caribbean – Companies are being encouraged to boost their cyber security framework, in a bid to reduce losses and possibly save on costs… more

TSTT expects more procurement business

Trinidad and Tobago – With the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) coming into effect today, more widespread use of the TSTT e-Tender platform is expected, according to majority state-owned TSTT… more

Wednesday, 26 April 2023

Commission unveils DARE overhaul – no FTX mention

Bahamas – The Securities Commission last night unveiled its long-awaited overhaul of The Bahamas’ digital assets regulatory regime although there was no mention of, or reference to, the recent FTX implosion… more

Digital payments co-founder to join PM at UK receptions

Bahamas – A Bahamian-headquartered digital payments provider yesterday said its co-founder and chairman will speak alongside Prime Minister Philip Davis KC at several upcoming London events… more

Securities Commission unveils digital assets legislation overhaul

Bahamas – The Securities Commission of The Bahamas  has published its revised Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges (DARE) Bill 2023 for consultation, expanding the definition and list of digital asset business activities… more

17 components of a digital strategy

Caribbean – In today’s world, everybody and everything is digital. We are spending more time on internet-connected screens than ever before in 2023. According to DataReportal.com, the latest available data is showing that globally, the average person spends six hours and 58 minutes a day on screens that are connected to the internet… more

Fortinet skills gap report uncovers lack of cybersecurity skills

Caribbean – New Fortinet research reveals escalating cyber risks due to the ongoing talent shortage. The report revealed that organisations in Latin America and the Caribbean experienced an average of three breaches last year… more

New strategic initiatives to drive One on One revenue

Jamaica – One on One Educational Services Limited CEO Ricardo Allen said the company continues to implement strategic initiatives, including launching proprietary technologies, geared toward generating “sustainable medium- to long-term revenues” that will drive shareholder value… more

Thursday, 27 April 2023

Show not spooked by FTX through DARE-ing reforms

Bahamas – Reforms to The Bahamas’ digital assets regulatory regime must send a “strong message” that this nation remains open to innovation and has not been spooked by FTX’s collapse, an industry entrepreneur urged yesterday… more

Belize Broadcasting Authority hosts stakeholder consultation on Modernization of the Broadcasting Framework

Belize – Today, the Belize Broadcasting Authority is hosting a stakeholder consultation on Modernization of the Broadcasting Framework… more

Gov’t launches app for reporting public space issues

British Virgin Islands – The government has launched a mobile application that enables people to report non-emergency issues they observe in public infrastructure or in public spaces… more

CARICOM to mark Girls in ICT Day 2023 on Apr 27

Caribbean – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will join hands with the world to organise an event to appreciate the participation of girls in the sector of Information and Communications Technology. As per the latest update, “Girls in ICT Day” 2023 will be celebrated internationally on Thursday, April 27 2023, under the ITU theme of “Digital Skills for Life”… more

Digital divide hits women harder in poor countries: UN

Caribbean – SOME 90 per cent of young women and teenage girls in the world’s poorest countries have no access to the internet, a United Nations report published Wednesday said… more

Girls in ICT Day 2023: Digital Skills for Life

Caribbean – Today, 27 April, people across the world are marking Girls in ICT Day with the theme “Digital skills for life”. This day was created to encourage and empower girls and young women to become users and creators in the digital world… more

GTT, WANSAT launch satellite internet service

Guyana – GTT Inc. (GTT) and WANSAT Networks Inc. (WANSAT), a Guyanese-owned Internet Service Provider with a focus on providing satellite broadband connectivity to rural and hinterland areas yesterday announced the launch of their partnership “Connectivity Anywhere”, a new satellite internet service… more

Carolyn Ferguson | Utility companies offer benefits in the use of technology for customer care … but there are challenges

Jamaica – EVEN BEFORE the advent of smartphones, the liberalisation of the telecoms industry promised ease of access to people and businesses. In February 2008, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) held a symposium on Basic Telecom Agreements in Geneva Switzerland… more

Science teacher bats for ICT programmes specifically designed for women

Jamaica – There is a school of thought that believes that economically empowered women lead to more peaceful societies. In Jamaica, more women are creating businesses with impact from their homes using digital platforms… more

Friday, 28 April 2023

HURTING COMMERCE: Businesses bemoan First Caribbean’s online banking outages

Bahamas – CIBC First Caribbean International Bank (FCIB) said yesterday that it is working to address ‘intermittent’ issues across its online banking platform, mobile app and corporate online services, with businesses branding the disruption as a “serious issue” which is “hurting commerce.” … more

Digital Skills for Life!

Belize – Yesterday marked the annual Girls in I.C.T. Day, a global initiative to encourage young girls and women to consider careers in information and communication technology (I.C.T.)… more

Digicel seeks US$100-m bridge loan

Caribbean – Digicel has reached out to bondholders of US$925 million of overdue debt asking them for consent to borrow more money which it intends to use as a bridge facility… more

Progress reports on sub-sea cables, public transport and a park

Cayman Islands – Updates on sub-sea communications cables, a promised public transport report and progress on the Eddie Sanchez Memorial Park were all given in Parliament this week… more

Flow reports service outage in Carriacou due to Grenlec power outage

Grenada – Flow Grenada is assessing a service outage currently impacting customers in Carriacou. The outage was caused by a fire at the Grenada Electricity Services (Grenlec) power station, which resulted in a power outage that impacted Flow’s services on the island… more

GTT partners with WANSat Networks to provide high-speed satellite internet service across Guyana

Guyana – Soon persons living in the rural and hinterland areas would have the same internet connectivity as those living in coastal areas, as the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) Company partnered with WANSAT Network to provide high-speed satellite internet service across the country… more

Girls in ICT Day expo sparks career interest for youngsters

Jamaica – Up to 200 teenage girls from across the country were eager to learn about the opportunities to be attained from pursuing careers in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) on Thursday… more

Hundreds come together for ‘powerful’ Girls in ICT conference

Jamaica – It was Kimona Bowen’s first encounter being immersed in virtual reality (VR), an experience she initially found to be very frightening. But soon after, the engagement with the technology piqued her interest, serving as further motivation to pursue her passion to work in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)… more

Leon-Issa loses battle with cops over phone access

Jamaica – Amoi Leon-Issa, the mother of nine-year-old Gabriel King, has lost her battle in the Supreme Court to quash an order from the St James Parish Court that she should grant sleuths probing her son’s January 13, 2022 murder access to her cellular phone… more

Saturday, 29 April 2023

E-payment bill to be laid in National Assembly soon

Guyana – The Electronic Communications and Transaction Bill will be tabled at the next sitting of the National Assembly, as part of its continued implementation of legislation to reflect Guyana’s rapidly advancing and expanding economy, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC said on Friday… more

Sunday, 30 April 2023

Mastercard launches crypto credential, bringing more trust to blockchain ecosystem

Caribbean – MASTERCARD on Friday announced the introduction of Mastercard Crypto Credential, a set of common standards and infrastructure that will help verify interactions among consumers and businesses using blockchain networks… more

Images credit: rawpixel.com (Pexels); Wikipedia; Wikimedia Commons; Caribbean Jobs; Guyana Chronicle

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music and Stitcher!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be top of mind in regional and global conversations. To some degree, it seems that the initial flush of excitement is transitioning to more deliberate considerations of the potential impact and limitations of AI.

This month’s Community Chat discussion is a mixed bag of topics, reflecting the diverse issues that we need to grapple with: not just cutting-edge technology, but also matters related to equality and inclusion and the nuts-and-bolts of telecoms service quality across the Caribbean region.

Introducing our guests

Charlie Ann St. Cyr is a Founder, Social Impact Strategist, and digital marketing professional with a passion for storytelling and story doing.  For over 12 years, she’s worked with corporate, non-profit, and governmental organizations in the field of marketing and communications, helping them connect their strategy with social objectives to deliver meaningful impact.

In addition to her work in communications and marketing, she is an advocate for girl leadership and education. She is skilled in movement-building, adolescent girl leadership, and girl-centred advocacy. In 2025, she founded the non-profit organisation, Girls With Roots, through which she continues to lead and support projects that improve the well-being and economic outlook of women and girls.

Gisselle Ramsaran is a Digital Marketing Systems Strategist with nearly 20 years of experience in the field. She brings a deep understanding of traditional marketing models and an appreciation for the digital landscape. But it’s her unique ability to anticipate changing consumer behaviour that allows her to keep track of new platforms and opportunities, influence and build better communication pathways for brands.

Gisselle is currently the Head of Digital and Content Strategy for the local office of one of the world’s largest advertising and communications networks. She also has been a Digital Marketing Systems Consultant working with companies interested in building internal digital marketing teams to support their business and customer needs. 

Community Chat topics

In this Community chat episode, the following topics were discussed:

1. AI and content development. Thanks to her involvement in digital content development, Gisselle has been witnessing first-hand not only the impact that AI has been having on the marketing space, but also the perceptions around AI and content creation. This also leads to questions about AI in the Caribbean content creation space which can be a completely different animal, as our conversation explored.
2. How technology can contribute to inequality and threaten the rights and well-being of girls in the Caribbean. When one considers the state of development of the Caribbean region and the opportunities available to girls and women when compared with other developing countries, technology acting as a vector for inequality and threats to their rights and well-being may not seem readily evident. However, in working closely with girls, Charlie Ann has been able to observe the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which Caribbean girls and women are not in a position to leverage technology as one would hope, which is creating inequality and threats to their future.
3. The quality of telecoms services across the region. This topic stemmed from an article in The Tribune (Bahamas), in which the author was discussing the poor and inconsistent quality of service customers have been experiencing from the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC). Sadly, the situations outlined are not unique to The Bahamas, and speak to a bigger issue of the quality of telecoms service in the Caribbean region.

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 either were mentioned during the episode or otherwise, might be useful:

• Gisselle Ramsaran
• Charlie Ann St Cyr
• Girls With Roots
• Caribbean Girls Collective 
• BBC news article, ChatGPT banned in Italy over privacy concerns
• Reuters article, Italy’s ChatGPT ban attracts EU privacy regulators
• National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago article, Traditional Mas Characters – Midnight Robber
• The Tribune article, FRONT PORCH: What’s going on at BTC?

Images credit:  C A St Cyr;  G Ramsaran;  Diggity Marketing (Pixabay); Julia M Cameron (Pexels); Discover Savsat (Unsplash)

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

Podcast editing support:  Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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

As a region known for its creativity, it has been questioned in many quarters why the Caribbean region is not more widely known for innovation or for being pioneers in tech space. As individual countries and a region, we are grappling with a broad range of problems, which due to our location, geographic size and small economies, but with an educated population, we may be uniquely qualified to solve – which may be applicable to other developing countries around the world. Instead, we seem to be waiting for others to innovate to solve our problems.

Coupled with that premise, is the broader issue of whether Caribbean society is truly ready to leverage the technologies that are available to them. As much as the Caribbean consumer seems to be technology-savvy, and much is made about the proliferation of smartphones, the use of Wi-Fi and mobile data, and their presence on social media, some seemingly paradoxical attitudes and behaviour also exist.

These two concepts underpin much of the discussion in this month’s Community Chat episode.

Introducing our guests

Larissa Martin is an IT Specialist based in Antigua and Barbuda, currently exploring the fields of freelance and consulting. She has over 15 years of experience in the technology field and has worked in several sectors including academia, hospitality, and customer service. 

Larissa earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a specialization in International Business from Florida International University. Her current interests include Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and is pursuing certifications in the fields of Data and IT Analytics. 

Rodney Browne has over 20 years of experience in the digital and web media industries. He created a number of ground-breaking applications between 1999 and 2005, including Caribbean Greetings, the first comprehensive online greeting card service for the Caribbean, Caribbean Buffet, a restaurant and events directory, and Caribbean Massive, a social media website with such features as a forum, blog, friends list, group, photo management and much more.

Currently, Rodney is the Founder and the Managing Director of eCaribbean Limited, which is based in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and is one of the largest web firms in the Eastern Caribbean and was launched in 2005. He is passionate about entrepreneurship, innovation, education and art, and has contributed his time and resources towards the advancement of these areas nationally and regionally.

The topics discussed

In this Community chat episode, the following topics were discussed:

1. The state of Innovation/R&D in the Caribbean. The seemingly lack of innovation and research and development in the region is being more widely discussed as there appears to be a growing recognition that we ought to be solving our own problems, and perhaps more importantly, that we possess the skills with which to do so. However, why isn’t there more innovation? We discuss.
2. Why is payment technology still limited in the Caribbean? Without a doubt and over the past three years, the adoption and use of digital payments and electronic transaction technology grew considerably across the region. However, we are still behind when compared with more developed countries in terms of the range of payment technologies that are available. Also, it seems that in recent months, people have reverted to more traditional behaviour, instead of using the digital services that are being offered.
3. Where are the female tech leaders in the Caribbean? As a young woman in tech living in Antigua and Barbuda and throughout her tertiary studies and professional life, Larissa has been the exception: a female in tech. As much as she enjoys the field, it has been a lonely existence. She has thus had to wonder, “Why aren’t more women in tech in the region?”

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.

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 either were mentioned during the episode or otherwise, might be useful:

• Larissa Martin
• Rodney Browne
• eCaribbean Limited
• ICT Pulse Podcast episode, ICTP 242: Breaking the glass ceiling in Data Science
• ICT Pulse Podcast episode, ICTP 237: Revisiting tech innovation in the Caribbean region and at TTLAB in Trinidad and Tobago
• Ingrid Riley
• Silicon Caribe
• Caribbean Women in Tech

Images credits: L Martin; R Browne; Michal Jarmoluk (Pixabay); Photo Mix (Pixabay); Christina @wocintechchat.com (Unsplash)

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

Podcast editing support:  Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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

Without a doubt, we would all agree that technology has been evolving at a considerable pace, but in the Caribbean region, in particular, the supporting ecosystems may not necessarily be evolving at a comparable pace. Deficiencies, inconsistencies and a variety of difficulties will be experienced, and as a result, we will not realise all of the benefits envisaged.

In this month’s Community Chat, a common theme for the two topics discussed is the fundamental change in attitude that still seems to be needed, in order for us to truly leverage some of the developments that have occurred in the region’s tech space, but which may challenge some of our core beliefs as individuals and as a society.  

Introducing our guests and their topics

Samantha Sheoprashad is an Ecosystem Developer at Trifinity Solutions, a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Youth Ambassador, Co-Founder of the digital platform, Eco-naire, a Former Facebook Developer Lead, a Queens Young Leader 2017 recipient, an Institute of Caribbean Studies 30 Under 30 Honouree and an Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Sustainable Development Movement  Ambassador. She spends a great deal of time working with clients to develop digital strategies to launch their online businesses with the aim of driving more customers, purchases, and revenue.

Samantha has a  background in Computer Science, which she uses to develop software and social innovations programmes that change lives. She has worked with communities in several capacities, including youth development over the last 20 years, and has made an impact on education, entrepreneurship, and the use of technology to resolve social challenges in Guyana and the wider Caribbean.

Samantha as a young woman in tech and a young tech business owner has become acutely aware of the challenges women in tech face, thanks to her own personal experience and those reported by those she has taught and mentored. She thus submitted the topic, Gender inequality for women in the Caribbean tech Industry, for discussion. However, the conversation that ensued was multi-layered, as some of the inequality highlighted are not driven solely by the tech industry, but also reflects some of society’s values and norms on the role of women and the role of women in the workplace.

Steven Williams is a Director of Sunisle Communications Inc., which does business as Sunisle Technology Solutions in Barbados, and offers computing and managed IT services. He also serves as the company’s Business Development Director. In addition to his academic qualifications, Steven is a Certified Chief Information Security Officer and a Certified Data Privacy Officer.

Thanks to his knowledge and experience in Information Security and Data Privacy, Steven is concerned that Caribbean businesses and organisations have been resistant to implementing data privacy frameworks, though their systems and networks are vulnerable to cyberattacks, which can result in individuals’ personally identifiable data being compromised. He thus led a discussion on The Potential Impact of Data Privacy in the Caribbean, which touched on, among other things:

• the change in mindset that must still happen to foster data privacy;
• the critical first steps organisations can take to begin to become data compliant; and
• some of the likely challenges when there is a need to have a more harmonised data protection framework across the Caribbean region.

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.

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 either were mentioned during the episode or otherwise, might be useful:

• Samantha Sheoprashad
• Steven Williams
• Trifinity Solutions
• Sunisle Technology Solutions
• ICT Pulse article, Roundup: for the week ending 18 September 2022
• Harmonization of ICT Policies, Legislation and Regulatory Procedures (HIPCAR) Project

Images credit: S Sheoprashad; S Williams; Mary Taylor (Pexels); Rajesh Kumar (flickr)

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

Podcast editing support:  Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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

Did you know that:

• Globally, almost one in three women have been subjected to intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life.
• Most violence against women is perpetrated by current or former husbands or intimate partners.
• Of those who have been in a relationship, almost one in four adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner or husband.
• In 2018, an estimated one in seven women had experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner or husband in the past 12 months.

(Source: United Nations Women)

The above are sobering statistics and just a few that are available on the violence against women. However, when many of us think of gender-based violence, that is violence committed against an individual due to stereotypes and roles attributed to or expected of them according to their sex or gender identity, we may focus on the extreme forms that end up being reported the news, either occurring here in the Caribbean, or internationally. But, gender-based violence is far more prevalent that we might initially believe, especially when situations such as stalking, sexual harassment and domestic abuse, to name just a few, are also considered.

We are resuming our series on technology-based social enterprises – that is, tech businesses that have social impact among their core objectives. The organisation that we will be focussing on is Life in Leggings, which is seeking to make an impact in the gender-based violence space.

Introducing our guest

Ronelle King is a human rights advocate and the Founder and Director of Life In Leggings: Caribbean Alliance Against Gender-based Violence through Education, Empowerment and Community Outreach. Life in Leggings began as a viral social media movement #lifeinleggings in 2016, and has evolved into a grassroots organisation and registered charity based in Barbados. It aims to reduce the pervasive rape culture in the Caribbean and help to eradicate the occurrence of gender-based violence in the region.

In 2019, Ronelle co-founded Pink Parliament, an initiative which encourages girls between the ages of 14 and 20 years old to consider careers in politics. Through her work, she has been a driving force in highlighting key issues pertaining to gender rights, youth development and the protection of marginalised communities. She views her work as helping to create an inclusive, sustainable and equitable region for all.

Ronelle received the 2017 Youth Hero (Female) Award by the Barbados Youth Development Council and the 2018 Queen’s Young Leader Award by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, for her dedication to reducing gender inequality in Barbados and the wider Caribbean.

Insights into our conversation

In the hypersexual environment that seems to exist in many Caribbean countries, gender-based violence is a subject that many want to avoid. But the harrowing stories that rip the headlines on an all too regular basis, and the thousands (or even millions) who are suffering in silence, emphasise the fact that ending gender-based violence requires urgent, concerted and sustained effort.

In the conversation with Ronelle, two things came to the fore. First, gender-based violence is pervasive in the Caribbean region, and may take generations to eradicate it. Second, and unlike most of the other social enterprises we have interviewed, as a charity, Life in Leggings is experiencing the challenge of balancing social impact with sustainability, which also affects the extent to which it has been leveraging technology. However, as an organisation that is trying change the mindset associated with gender-based violence in Caribbean societies, the journey –regardless of the technologies used – is a marathon, not a sprint.

Below are some of the key questions posed to Ronelle during the course of our conversation.

1. To start us off, tell us a bit of yourself, and what drove you to set up Life in Leggings?
2. What are the ways in which Life in Leggings has been leveraging technology?
3. How do you balance the social impact versus the  sustainability/profitability imperatives you might have for Life in Leggings?
4. What has been some of the successes Life in Leggings has been able to realise to date?
5. What has been the biggest lesson you have had to learn in running Life in Leggings?
6. How would you describe yourself as a manager, as the leader of your organisation?
7. What is the best piece of advice you would give a tech start-up that is wants to start a social enterprise?
8. Where would you like to see Life in Leggings in the next 3 to 5 years?

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:

• Ronelle King
• Life In Leggings: Caribbean Alliance Against Gender-based Violence  
• Pink Parliament
• Council of Europe, Types of gender-based violence

Image credits: Life in Leggings / R King

Music credit: Ray Holman

Podcasting support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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

Although the food shortages, along with unavailability of other basic supplies, that was experienced last year, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, might have been relatively brief, to many, it emphasised the need for Caribbean countries to take food security more seriously. Over the past 30 years, many of our countries have shifted from agriculture-based economies to services, which has resulted in a reduction in local food production and agro-processing facilities, and a growing food import bill.

It is also sobering to consider the growing poverty levels across the region, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Our countries have been blessed with a great weather year round, regular rains and relatively fertile soil, so it is difficult to fathom that people at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid, especially children, do not have enough to eat.

Ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture have been established as a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was unanimously adopted by the member states of the United Nations in 2015. Moreover, it has been widely acknowledged that ICT can help accelerate progress towards every single one of the 17 SDGs, by among other things, helping to build resilient infrastructure, fostering innovation, optimising processes, and lowering costs.

Having said this, farming and ICT tend not be readily paired, but there are broad range of opportunities through which ICT can be leveraged to increase and improve farm productivity – both in terms of operation and yield. We are thus resuming our series on technology-based social enterprises – that is, tech businesses that have social impact among their core objectives. In this episode of our podcast, the focus is on farming, and Akata Farms in Grenada.

Introducing our guest

Entrepreneur, farmer and youth advocate, Bevon Chadel Charles has been dedicated to the development and transformation of Grenada’s agriculture sector into one of innovation and sustainability. As a young agriculture enthusiast and advocate for food security and scalability of agro-enterprises in the Caribbean region, she is passionate about and driven to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero hunger.

Bevon is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Akata Farms, a self-sustainable, integrated farm in Grenada. Akata Farms aims to incorporate ICT, the Internet of Things and other technologies into the agriculture industry on the island and across the wider Caribbean. She is the 2021 Caribbean Region Winner of the Commonwealth Youth Award.

Bevon is Grenada’s first Country Representative of Young Professional For Agriculture Development, an organization lead by young advocates for agriculture advancement and change. The Grenadian chapter of YPARD has grown from just 4 members in 2018 to 26 since her appointment in 2020, and she is President of the Grenadian Youth for Agriculture Development in Technology, as well as the Regional Coordinator for Sustainable Development Goals Corp, another youth driven organisation with teams across the globe.

Insight into our conversation

In chatting with Bevon, you are left without any doubt that she is running an social impact-focussed business that leverages technology. She is passionate about farming and agriculture, creating a sustainable business, and improving the food security of Grenada and the Caribbean region. The fact that her focus is agriculture – a industry that tend to get very little respect – and that she is young, female entrepreneur, make her drive and achievements even more commendable. So of the questions posed during our conversation included the following:

1. Tell us a bit more about Akata Farms, and what are the ways in which it is leveraging technology?
2. Do you think of Akata Farms as a social enterprise? What is the social good or social impact Akata Farms is pursuing?
3. Recently, you were the recipient of a Commonwealth Youth Award. Why were you recognised?
4. Tell us a bit of your story, and what drove you to set up Akata Farms?
5. How do you balance the social impact versus the  sustainability/profitability imperatives you might have for Akata Farms?
6. What has been your experience navigating the agriculture space as a young female entrepreneur?
7. How would you describe yourself as a manager, as the leader of your organisation?
8. What has been the biggest lesson you have had to learn in running Akata Farms?
9. What is the best piece of advice you would give a tech start-up that is wants to start a social enterprise?
10. Where would you like to see Akata Farms in the next 3 to 5 years?

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:

• Bevon Chadel Charles
• Akata Farms
• The Commonwealth article, Young leaders from Bangladesh, Grenada, Samoa, Sierra Leone and UK win 2021 Commonwealth Youth Awards
• Jamaica Observer article, Grenadian wins Commonwealth Youth Award; two regional youth named COVID-19 heroes

Image credits: B. C. Charles, PxHere; wiselywoven (Pixabay) joffi (Pixabay)

Music credit: Ray Holman

Monday, 26 April 2021

BTC offering dedicated contact centre, e-commerce services to SME clients

Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) announced a series of new initiatives to help small business customers ride out the pandemic and continue with their digital transformation. BTC said it has adapted its operations to respond to the growing demands of local SMEs, which now account for more than 85 percent of the company’s business clientele… more

Female representation in game development is here to SLAY

Guyana – Last Thursday, 87 countries – including Guyana and many of the CARICOM Member States – celebrated International Girls in ICT Day under the theme “Connected Girls, Creating Brighter Futures”… more

Hold us to our five promises – Digicel CEO

Jamaica – In celebration of its 20th anniversary in the country, Digicel Jamaica has made five promises to customers which it says is a slate of expectations every customer should have when they interact with the company… more

Spectrum Management Authority rejects conflict of interest claim

Jamaica – The Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) has rejected claims of a conflict of interest when it entered into a commercial transaction with SynCon Technologies in 2017 to provide equipment to help with data security and reduced hardware costs… more

ECTEL Empowers Girls to Get Connected with ICT

Regional –The regulatory body for electronic communications in the Eastern Caribbean, the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) is calling on all girls to participate in an interactive virtual tech talk… more

Drones to the rescue …tapping in to life-saving technology

Trinidad and Tobago – Plumes of grey ash mixed with gas explode violently over the La Soufrière volcano in St Vincent, spreading far across the sky… more

Tuesday, 27 April 2021

Govt expands digital services again

Bahamas – The government yesterday launched a new online solution for the registration and licensing of vessels through the Port Department… more

TECHNO-PAYOFF: Govt expecting “revenue bump” from digital platform rollout

Bahamas – While the government is anticipating a “revenue bump” due to the introduction of its digital payment platform, Acting Financial Secretary Marlon Johnson noted yesterday that it has not set any particular targets in light of what he described as an “anomalous period”… more

Logic launches wireless broadband internet in the eastern districts

Cayman Islands – Logic has launched a fixed wireless home internet service in the eastern districts of Grand Cayman… more

2021 Guyana Innovation Prize winners announced

Guyana – Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) the largest provider of telecommunication services in Guyana, and the Guyana Economic Development Trust (GEDT) a US and Guyana-based initiative that supports science and technology startups, wish to announce the 2021 winners of the Guyana Innovation Prize… more

TVET professional development goes online

Regional – CARICOM Vocational Qualifications (CVQs) Assessors, Verifiers, Instructors now have access to online training to enhance their capacity to ensure that artisans attain the occupational standards required for work within the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME)… more

Montraville Farms CleanRite Old Road United Jets Launch Free WiFi

Saint Kitts and Nevis – In celebration of their newly formed partnership with the Old Road United Jets Football Club, corporate partners Montraville Farms & CleanRite announced the installation of a free Wi-Fi hotspot on the main street between Hermitage Road and Wingfield Road… more

Wednesday, 28 April 2021

Belize courts pioneer new electronic document filing system

Belize – Courts in Belize have made an historic switch to a new electronic filing system designed to do away with the expensive and time-consuming paper-based system of the past… more

OfReg invites young Cayman professionals to be IIC’s future leaders

Cayman Islands – The International Institute of Communication (IIC), a global policy debating platform for the converged communications industry, offering innovators and regulators a forum to explore, debate, and agree on the best policies and regulatory frameworks for the widest societal benefit, is promoting a Future Leaders’ Competition and OfReg is encouraging all young professionals from Cayman to participate in the forum to promote the rising stars of the sector… more

BUSINESS BYTE: Customers pleased with Flow’s enhanced Combo Plans

Dominica – Former Windward Islands cricketer Liam Sebastian is applauding telecoms provider Flow for the enhancements made to its ‘Always On’ prepaid mobile plan… more

Advertorial | Video games set in Jamaica

Jamaica – Many music enthusiasts claim that Jamaica is the origin of reggae music. The Antillean-Caribbean Sea surrounds Jamaica. It is popular for its wild beaches and clear water… more

Successful Girls in ICT Day

Jamaica – Youth Can Do IT (YCDI) marked Girls in ICT Day 2021 with the second staging of their two-day virtual event #iamWITy (I am woman in technology)… more

TECH PRODIGY, Dominic Darby

Jamaica – It’s easy to describe 11-year-old Dominic Darby as a technology prodigy… more

WiPay to provide 1,000 free websites to MSMEs

Jamaica – FINTECH company WiPay Jamaica will be providing 1,000 micro, small and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) each with a free e-commerce website and free hosting on May 16… more

A salute to Women in Tech

Regional – SiliconCaribe released their First Annual Caribbean Women in Tech Top 50 List to mark Girls in ICT Day. Twenty Jamaican women made the stellar list of 50 women from 14 countries operating in 24 tech industry sectors… more

Federal Minister of ICT first Woman to Chair the ECTEL Council of Ministers

Regional – Federal Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) et. al, the Hon. Akilah Byron-Nisbett, is the first woman to sit on the Council of Ministers for the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL)… more

T&T Chess Tournament Makes History Going Online

Trinidad and Tobago – Every few years, chess returns to the attention of the mainstream population in the form of a movie or television show that reignites our passion for one of the most popular games in the world… more

Thursday, 29 April 2021

BTC reduces costs of prepaid plans in response to pandemic

Bahamas – BTC said yesterday that it has reduced the costs of its prepaid mobile plans with an emphasis on ‘supersizing’ the value to its subscribers… more

Local crypto firm improving its offering through strategic partnership

Bahamas – Deltec International Group’s Bahamas-domiciled financial digital asset service provider Delchain, announced yesterday that it has partnered with blockchain network Flare to offer cryptocurrency transactions… more

Gov’t negotiating telecoms companies’ licenses

British Virgin Islands – The government is reportedly in talks with local telecommunications providers to address issues surrounding service quality, reliability and cost… more

Cornerstone launches CyberSafe Yuhself programme

Jamaica – Cornerstone Jamaica recently launched its cybersecurity awareness programme, CyberSafe Yuhself, at Manning’s, Lennon High and Broughton Primary schools in Westmoreland… more

Nevis drone operators get opportunity to contribute to Federal draft regulations governing operations 

Saint Kitts and Nevis – Drone operators on Nevis had the opportunity to contribute to regulations being drafted for the operation of drones by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis at a briefing hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation recently… more

Huawei’s repositioning strategy

Trinidad and Tobago – A WEEK ago, Huawei hosted a virtual tour of its Galileo Exhibition Hall in Shenzhen, China… more

Friday, 30 April 2021

Covid-19 digital vaccination barcodes could be on the horizon

Antigua and Barbuda – Information Minister Honorable Melford Nicholas revealed that the Cabinet is giving consideration to providing fully vaccinated young people with a barcode sent to their smartphone… more

Bahamas ‘Left Behind’ If Fails To Compete Digitally

Bahamas – The Bahamas is “in danger of being left behind” unless it exploits the same digital tools that foreign competitors are using to sell goods and services here, a senior Aliv executive warned yesterday… more

App being developed for student attendance registration

Jamaica – A student attendance registration application is to be developed to collect information in real time about school attendance… more

C&W Business Jamaica rolls out enhanced work-from-home solution for BPO industry

Jamaica – ICT solutions provider, C&W Business Jamaica, has launched an enhanced work-from-home solution for the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry… more

Flow Jamaica challenges COVID-19 with innovative solutions, upgraded technology

Jamaica – While many firms simply made cutbacks as Jamaica went into lockdown over a year ago due to the emerging COVID-19 threat, Flow Jamaica had to accelerate many of its plans and deploy several measures to manage the spike in demand for its services… more

Public CCTV camera program soon to be rolled out on Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis – The Nevis Island Administration (NIA) is preparing to roll out its public CCTV surveillance program with the imminent outfitting of security cameras across Nevis… more

Universal Service Fund Encourages Responsible Use Of Public Wi-Fi Hot Spots

Jamaica – As the Universal Service Fund continues to roll-out free Wi-Fi across the country it is reminding users to connect with care. To date, the Agency has established 13 Public Wi-Fi hotspots in growth centres across the country… more

OECS Youth building digital businesses

Regional – On March 22, 2021, the USAID/OECS Juvenile Justice Reform Project (JJRP) started the second phase of its Digital Jobs Initiative, with 141 youth including youth in conflict with the law, youth currently housed at custodial rehabilitation facilities, and unemployed young people… more

Saturday, 1 May 2021

BVI a model for implementing SMART Schools regionally

British Virgin Islands – The BVI is paving the way for more SMART School programmes to be developed in the region… more

Sunday, 2 May 2021

LANDMARK NTI-COURSERA PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED

Barbados – Yesterday, Saturday, May 1, the Government of Barbados officially announced a historic partnership that will put new and exciting career competencies within reach of Barbadians… more

Gender equity Flow

Jamaica – Telecoms giant Flow Jamaica, in asserting its commitment to gender diversity and inclusion throughout its operations, says the equal split of its senior leadership team is something which the organisation has benefited from and one of which it is particularly proud… more

New Huawei Jamaica CEO urges young people to focus on technology

Jamaica – NEIL Grant has a message for young people who are scratching their heads in trying to choose a career: Technology is the way to go… more

Image credits: Suzy Hazelwood (Pexels); Brands of the World; Wikipedia; Twitter; Wikipedia; Facebook; Wikipedia

Monday, 8 March, is officially recognised as International Women’s Day. With women being the bedrock of so many societies – as primary caregivers, single parents, sole income earners in so many families – especially here in the Caribbean, I am frequently prompted to ask myself, ‘Why is such a commemoration even necessary?’.  And of course, the most compelling answer is that although women do so much with so little, and usually under very severe circumstances, their efforts and sacrifices are overlooked, and in many instances, they are subjected to many injustices in our still male-dominated world.

Gender equality features highly among the 2030 targets for sustainable development, as Goal 5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Six of the nine targets are listed below:

End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making in political, economic and public life

Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

(Source:  United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs)

Across Caribbean countries, and more specifically legislatively, there is gender equality. Women can own property; child, early and forced marriage along with female genital mutilation are not condoned; and matters related to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are addressed – to some degree. However, there are still societal attitudes and mores to which Caribbean girls and women are still subject that emphasise the need for our countries to not rest on their laurels, pat themselves on the back that they are not as bad as ‘other countries’, and more fully recognise the contribution women make to our societies.

COVID-19 and the slip into poverty

For 2021, the theme for International Women’s Day is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”. In so many of our households, where women are primary caregivers, single parents, sole income earners, and quite frequently all three, COVID-19 has been devastating. In an recent interview on CNN with Melinda Gates, of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, she highlighted a United Nations statistic that an estimated 47 million women worldwide have been driven out of the workforce due to COVID-19.

Two reasons were identified. First, women tend to be the primary (and unpaid) caregivers in their families, and with children being out of schools due to the pandemic, women have been the ones with childcare and tutoring responsibilities. Second, women, perhaps more than men, tend to work in some of the more economically fragile sectors, such as tourism and hospitality, as well as in some of the more informal jobs, which would include domestic helpers and office attendants, that since about March 2020 have adversely affected by the pandemic. Moreover, and with these women no longer in the workforce, they, and their families, have fallen into poverty.

Unfortunately, there might not be any recent or comprehensive study on the role and impact of women in Caribbean economies or Caribbean societies. Nevertheless, it is likely that the global trends and findings also exist the region. However, and unlike developed countries, Caribbean countries have not implemented policies to recognise the contribution women make to their economies, as unpaid caregivers and as sole income earners, in particular, who are lifting themselves and their children out of poverty, and for whom there tends to be no social safety net if they are unable to work.

The obligations placed on women versus men

For women in more robust industries, including the tech field, the gender equality challenges may be more along the lines of leadership and the true empowerment of women. It is interesting to note that although female enrolment in high schools and tertiary institutions tends to exceed males in most disciplines, and women are in greater numbers in lower level positions in many organisations, they tend not to be as represented in senior leadership and executive roles.

Having said this, women, regardless of their position, tend to have primary caregiving responsibilities, and frequently are expected to sacrifice their professional aspirations for the sake of their families, including the ambition of their husbands and partners. That obligation – to step back from their careers for their families – is not one that our societies expect men to consider. As a result, although there might be more women in lower level positions, they cannot move up the ranks (into senor positions), because they are being hamstrung by familial roles and responsibilities that they are still expected to fulfil.

With their ability to earn, and even their own self-determination constrained through the obligations placed solely at the feet of women, to varying degrees, women can be at a disadvantage in their home lives, along with being financially dependent on others. Once all of these considerations crossed my mind, effectively answering the question, ‘Why is such a commemoration of International Women’s Day even necessary?’, I had to admit that although a lot of progress has been made over the years, there is still a lot of ground to cover.

Image credit: Standsome (Pixabay)

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

The gig economy is not new, but has become increasingly crucial, as organisations continue to appreciate the value and benefit of hiring individuals with specialist expertise execute specific tasks as or when needed. Thanks to technology, particularly the Internet, both the hiring entity and the individual have greater flexibility and control in the workplace, which not only benefits the bottom line for organisations, but also fosters greater work-life balance among gig workers.

At the same time, education has moved online, and we are called to invest in our future by up-skilling and by actively engaging in continued professional development, in order to stay relevant. Further the impact of COVID-19 on the workplace and the future of work should not be underestimated, as it has forced organisations to not only better leverage technology, but also to streamline their operations – including their workforce – in order to have a chance of surviving the economic downturn that has already begun.

However, many of us are still holding on to the workplace practices 20 and 50 years ago, although it is changing right before eyes. Preparing to Thrive in the Future Gig Economy was the theme of one of the online panel discussions held on 23 April to commemorate International Girls in ICT Day, which had been organised by Nicole Pitter-Patterson, and the team at Caribbean Girls Hack. The discussion was recorded and is now available for further listening here, on the ICT Pulse Podcast.

Introducing the Panelists

Therese Turner-Jones is the General Manager of the Country Department Caribbean Group (CDCG) of the IDB. The countries covered by the CDCG are the Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, and via the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Originally from the Bahamas, Therese has been the CDCG General Manager since 2013, and would have been at the helm of many of the recent initiatives of the IDB in the Caribbean region. She thus fully appreciates the importance of ICT, generally, and in driving the economic and social development of the region.

Melissa Sassi is the Global Head of IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator, which is focused on empowering early-stage startups through technology and business acceleration. She is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MentorNations, a youth-led digital skills movement that seeks to empower underserved communities to transform their lives through technology, and has taught tens of thousands of young people to code across twelve countries. Melissa is also the Chair of the Digital Intelligence initiative Working Group of Institute of the Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and is a Founding Member of the Coalition for Digital Intelligence.

Nadeen Matthews Blair is the Chief Digital and Marketing Officer of NCB Jamaica, and is also the Chief Executive Officer of the NCB Foundation. As the Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, Nadeen spearheads the Bank’s digital transformation programme; and through the NCB Foundation, she aims to provide meaningful opportunities in areas such as education, community development/sports, and youth leadership/entrepreneurship. Nadeen has a Master’s of Business Administration from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, and graduated cum laude from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Science in Financial Economics.

Juleen Gentles is a final year Computing student at the University of Technology, Jamaica. She is an advocate for both women and the black community in technology, and has worked with regional social enterprises such as Youth Can Do IT and Caribbean Girls Hack to empower and enable others to be not only consumers of digital content, but also creators. Her work and mission has been acknowledged by entities such as Microsoft Windows Insider, the International Telecommunications Union, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and Huawei Technologies, to name a few. She is also a is a public speaker and storyteller, who is deeply inspired by her heritage.

Key discussions points

Although the focus of the discussion was the gig economy, in light of the fact that it was also International Girls in ICT Day, we also had to focus on one of the longstanding challenges in the tech space: how to keep more female talent in the tech workforce. So in addition to that topic, we also sought to address the following:

• What are some of the key skills and tools that are essential for success in the gig economy?
• How are recent university graduates approaching work and the workplace?
• And, going forward, how should we position ourselves for the gig economy?

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:

• Therese Turner-Jones
• Melissa Sassi
• Nadeen Matthews-Blair
• Juleen Gentles
• Nicole Pitter Patterson
• Inter-American Development Bank
• IBM
• MentorNations
• National Commercial Bank (NCB) Jamaica
• NCB Foundation
• University of Technology, Jamaica
• International Girls in ICT Day
• Caribbean Girls Hack
• ICT Pulse Podcast episode, ICTP 066: Tech innovation and disruption at the National Commercial Bank Jamaica, with Nadeen Matthews-Blair
• ICT Pulse Podcast episode, ICTP 063: ICT in the Caribbean – from a donor agency’s perspective, with Therese Turner-Jones of the Inter-American Development Bank
• Youth Can Do I.T.

Image credits:  Gerd Altmann (Pixabay);  IDB; M Sassi; NCB; J Gentles

Music credit:  Ray Holman

————–

This episode is also available in Apple iTunes and on Stitcher!

As we have all heard by now, it is widely held that in today’s world, ICT is a crucial driver of economic and social development. To that end, countries worldwide have been trying to determine how best to develop their enabling environment upon which to leverage ICT. In addition to having the requisite infrastructure and ubiquitous access to the technology and to services, developing the human capital is a critical component that must be addressed.

In this our June 2019 Community Chat, we focus on that human element, through the following two topics, which were submitted for discussion by our guest panellists:

Clifford Browne

Our first topic, ICT as a strategy to reduce unemployment in the Caribbean and for economic development, was proposed by Clifford Browne, who is the Co-Founder of the Caribbean Coding Academy, located in Grenada. The Academy seeks to prepare Caribbean youths, along with those who are young at heart, for jobs for the new digital economy of the Caribbean, with a particular focus on coding, artificial intelligence and robotics.

In introducing this topic, which is not new, and which to a considerable degree, countries worldwide are still grappling with it, Clifford expresses the view that he thinks many countries, especially those in the Caribbean, are approaching education in (and for) the digital age the wrong way. He also makes some interesting assertions with regard to coding, and where it is positioned in the innovation value chain.

Share your thoughts by responding to this quick poll:

Claire Craig

Thereafter, Claire Craig, who was on our May Community Chat, leads us through a discussion on What can we do to help girls navigate the expanding digital landscape and encourage greater participation in ICT?  Claire is the Enterprise Applications Support Manager, at St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), in Trinidad and Tobago. She is also one of the coordinators of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG).

As one of the few ICT/tech specialists at UWI who is female, Claire is keenly aware of the activities that have been implemented to increase awareness and to encourage greater ICT participation by women and girls. However, she is of the view that those efforts are not enough, which is the basis for us to have another conversation on the issue.

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:

• Claire Craig
• Clifford Browne
• Caribbean Coding Academy
• University of the West Indies (St Augustine)
• Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG)
• Caribbean Girls Hack
• ICT Pulse Podcast episode, ICTP 055: Ensuring the meaningful inclusion of girls and women in ICT
• Robert T. Kiyosaki book, Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! 

Image credits:  alles (Pixabay);  C Browne;  C Craig

Music credit:  Ray Holman