{"id":162393,"date":"2022-03-30T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=162393"},"modified":"2022-03-30T05:58:44","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T10:58:44","slug":"ictp-197-understanding-the-caribbean-digital-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2022\/03\/ictp-197-understanding-the-caribbean-digital-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 197: Understanding the Caribbean digital economy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>We have all heard the term \u2018digital economy\u2019 and that countries worldwide are trying to find ways to foster its development. However, what does it mean if a country has a digital economy? In our conversation with Chelce\u00e9 Brathwaite and Yacine Khelladi, we start to tackle that very question, along with: the anticipated impact or value of having a digital economy; the implications of digital skills, digital literacy and digital inclusion; and key challenges to Caribbean countries in more fully realising their digital economies.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1241170057&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\" title=\"ICT Pulse Podcast\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">ICT Pulse Podcast<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\/ictp-197-understanding-the\" title=\"ICTP 197: Understanding the Caribbean digital economy\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">ICTP 197: Understanding the Caribbean digital economy<\/a><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This episode is also available on <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SoundCloud<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast\/id1373550291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apple iTunes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/playmusic.app.goo.gl\/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;link=https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/m\/Icau5acn2xiyl5yjuh7orl2mt54?t%3DICT_Pulse_Podcast%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google Play Music<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3d0U4ZYX80e5lenYLdzyX4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spotify<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/3f727ec1-de7d-416f-8bdc-31d9a911a09e\/ict-pulse-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"Amazon Podcast\">Amazon Music<\/a> and on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast?refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stitcher<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past decade in particular, the term \u2018digital economy\u2019 has become a critical component as countries worldwide continue to leverage the internet to increase productivity, competitiveness, reduce costs and foster innovation. Initially, and around 15 years, information and data were considered the \u2018new oil\u2019, and so the focus was on countries transitioning to \u2018Information Societies\u2019. Today, the value of data and information is a given, and as a result, the emphasis has shifted to money, and essentially, the framework and value system upon which our economies are based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having said this, the world is still in the early days of digital economies, and more so, the Caribbean region. However, and although the term is used frequently, it is unclear whether we truly know what it means, and consequently, whether we will know when we have achieved it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is through this lens that we thought it prudent to begin a conversation on the Caribbean digital economy, and&nbsp; so set the foundation to continue to explore the issue as it continues to unfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Caribbean region, the concept of a digital economy may be more complex than in other parts of the world. Most countries only need to focus on developing their individual digital economy, but we in the Caribbean, also have a regional construct to consider. Many of our countries are part of regional groupings, such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), which are also likely to have an impact on how our private and public sectors evolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introducing our guests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"162396\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2022\/03\/ictp-197-understanding-the-caribbean-digital-economy\/chelcee-brathwaite-c-brathwaite\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Chelcee-Brathwaite-C-Brathwaite.jpg?fit=800%2C758&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,758\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;COOLPIX P600&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;-62169984000&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;8.1&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.033333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Chelcee Brathwaite (C Brathwaite)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Chelce\u00e9 Brathwaite&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Chelcee-Brathwaite-C-Brathwaite.jpg?fit=300%2C284&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Chelcee-Brathwaite-C-Brathwaite.jpg?fit=800%2C758&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Chelcee-Brathwaite-C-Brathwaite.jpg?resize=292%2C277&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162396\" width=\"292\" height=\"277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Chelcee-Brathwaite-C-Brathwaite.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Chelcee-Brathwaite-C-Brathwaite.jpg?resize=300%2C284&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Chelcee-Brathwaite-C-Brathwaite.jpg?resize=768%2C728&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 292px) 100vw, 292px\" \/><figcaption>Chelce\u00e9 Brathwaite<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/in\/chelce\u00e9-brathwaite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chelce\u00e9 Brathwaite<\/a><\/strong> is currently a Trade Researcher&nbsp;at the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services, at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. She has conducted research on e-commerce and digital trade, web3 developments and their potential to enable trade in the orange economy, and innovation and industrial policy, among other areas. She was also a part-time lecturer for the graduate course e-Commerce and the New International Economy, and has worked as a technical researcher on several consultancies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chelce\u00e9 is passionate about the development of her country and region, and remains motivated by the desire to see Caribbean islands take advantage of these new opportunities to build economic resilience and support sustainable&nbsp;development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"132788\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2018\/06\/ictp-009-leading-effect-change-caribbeans-ict-space-yacine-khelladi-civic\/yacine-khelladi-world-wide-web-foundation\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Yacine-Khelladi-World-Wide-Web-Foundation.jpg?fit=515%2C501&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"515,501\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;11&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1472493618&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Yacine Khelladi (World Wide Web Foundation)\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;https:\/\/webfoundation.org\/about\/executive-team\/&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Yacine Khelladi&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Yacine-Khelladi-World-Wide-Web-Foundation.jpg?fit=300%2C292&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Yacine-Khelladi-World-Wide-Web-Foundation.jpg?fit=515%2C501&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Yacine-Khelladi-World-Wide-Web-Foundation.jpg?resize=253%2C246&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132788\" width=\"253\" height=\"246\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Yacine-Khelladi-World-Wide-Web-Foundation.jpg?w=515&amp;ssl=1 515w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Yacine-Khelladi-World-Wide-Web-Foundation.jpg?resize=300%2C292&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 253px) 100vw, 253px\" \/><figcaption>Yacine Khelladi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/in\/yacine67\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Yacine Khelladi<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;is an International Consultant, and an Economist, who specialises in ICT, Social and Human Development, ICT National Policies and Strategies, Project Monitoring and Evaluation, to name just a few areas. He is also the moderator of the Caribbean ICT stakeholders Virtual Community (CIVIC), an online platform for sharing information, ideas and projects on ICT and ICT-related developments in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yacine is also the Founder of Fundaci\u00f3n Taig\u00fcey, a non-governmental organisation that engages in grassroots community development, empowerment through the strategic use of ICTs, and knowledge networking. He has been based in the Dominican Republic for over 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Insights into our conversation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although we are in the early stages of understanding what a digital economy is, how it works, what might be the benefit to consumers, etc., one conversation is not enough in which to unpack it all. For example, with borders becoming more porous, the traditional methods of measuring economic impact are likely to be limited, and will need to evolve in terms of, among other things, the methodology and metrics that are measured, along with the value system attached to this emerging framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the concerns expressed during this discussion is that the digital economy should not just replace the traditional framework without improvement, especially as it relates the digital divide. Without proper intervention, the challenges that currently exist with respect to digital inclusion will persist, and will result in people being more marginalised and disadvantaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are some of the questions posed to Chelce\u00e9 and Yacine during our conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\"><li>What does the term \u2018digital economy\u2019 mean?<\/li><li>What is the anticipated impact or value that can be realised by countries having a digital economy?<\/li><li>What might be some of the implications of digital skills, digital literacy and digital inclusion are we transition to a more digital economy?<\/li><li>How might countries having a digital economy shape the Caribbean region, i.e., from a regional perspective?<\/li><li>A lot of the digital tools and platforms that we use in the region originate and\/or are hosted outside of the reign. How might that affect how digital economies in the region evolve?<\/li><li>What are key challenges to Caribbean countries more fully realising their digital economies?<\/li><li>What are the priorities Caribbean countries and\/or the region should be focussing on to more fully develop their digital economies?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>We would love to hear from you!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>LinkedIn<\/strong><\/a> pages, or via Twitter, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTPulse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>@ICTPulse<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, <a href=\"https:\/\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">do get in touch<\/a>. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Let\u2019s make it happen!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"select-links\">Select links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chelce%C3%A9-brathwaite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chelce\u00e9 Brathwaite<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/yacine67\/\">Yacine Khelladi<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/shridathramphalcentre.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/taiguey.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fundaci\u00f3n Taig\u00fcey<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cavehill.uwi.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Images credit:  C Brathwaite;&nbsp; Y Khelladi;&nbsp; Gerd Altmann (<a href=\"http:\/\/pixabay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pixabay<\/a>); Gerd Altmann (<a href=\"http:\/\/pixabay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pixabay<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Che\u0301rie), by Andy Narrell<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Podcast editing support:  Mayra Bonilla Lopez<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In our conversation with Chelce\u00e9 Brathwaite and Yacine Khelladi, we discuss the question &#8220;What does it means for a country to have a digital economy?&#8221;, along with: the anticipated impact or value of having a digital economy; the implications of digital skills, digital literacy and digital inclusion; and key challenges to Caribbean countries in more fully realising their digital economies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[355],"tags":[305,330,32,359,212,15],"class_list":["post-162393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-digital-economy","tag-digital-transformation","tag-information-society","tag-panel-discussion","tag-policy-2","tag-trends","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Featured-Image-Digital-Economy.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-Gff","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162393"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162411,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162393\/revisions\/162411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}