{"id":172103,"date":"2024-12-18T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/?p=172103"},"modified":"2024-12-18T05:58:35","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T10:58:35","slug":"ictp-333-2024-end-of-year-caribbean-ict-tech-trends-briefing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2024\/12\/ictp-333-2024-end-of-year-caribbean-ict-tech-trends-briefing\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 333: 2024 end-of-year Caribbean ICT\/tech trends briefing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>In this our final Community Chat and final episode for 2024, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Financial and Impact Innovator, Digital Economist and Digital Transformation Expert,<\/em><em> Telly Valerie Onu, and International Consultant, Carlton Samuels, the panel discusses the ICT\/technology trends and developments that were evident across the Caribbean region in 202<\/em><em>4<\/em><em>, and what might be in store in 202<\/em><em>5<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<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\/1988694279&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;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;\">ICT Pulse Podcast<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\/ictp-333-2024-end-of-year\" title=\"ICTP 333: 2024 end-of-year Caribbean ICT\/tech trends briefing\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\">ICTP 333: 2024 end-of-year Caribbean ICT\/tech trends briefing<\/a><\/div>\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>, <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast\/id1373550291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3d0U4ZYX80e5lenYLdzyX4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spotify<\/a> <strong>and <a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/3f727ec1-de7d-416f-8bdc-31d9a911a09e\/ict-pulse-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amazon Music<\/a>!!<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are almost at the end of 2024, and looking back at the past year from a regional perspective, the Caribbean tech space may seem quite ho-hum, where no single transformative event can readily be recalled. Bright moments from previous years, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and financial technology, just seemed to be ambling along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having said this, private and public sector organisations are still grappling with major cyberattacks and the fallout thereafter. Further, with many Caribbean countries experiencing the ravages of tropical storms this year, the most devastating of which was Hurricane Beryl, deficiencies in countries\u2019 network and infrastructure resiliency and recovery have been increasingly evident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our last Community Chat for the year, we are reflecting on the year in Caribbean tech that was, and what might be in store for us in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introducing our guest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"601\" data-attachment-id=\"155867\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2020\/12\/ictp-136-2020-end-of-year-caribbean-ict-tech-trends-briefing\/telojo-valerie-onu-source-telojo-v-onu\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Telojo-Valerie-Onu-Source-Telojo-V-Onu.jpg?fit=640%2C601&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,601\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Telojo Valerie Onu (Source Telojo V Onu)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Telojo Valerie Onu&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Telojo-Valerie-Onu-Source-Telojo-V-Onu.jpg?fit=300%2C282&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Telojo-Valerie-Onu-Source-Telojo-V-Onu.jpg?fit=640%2C601&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Telojo-Valerie-Onu-Source-Telojo-V-Onu.jpg?resize=640%2C601\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-155867\" style=\"width:300px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Telojo-Valerie-Onu-Source-Telojo-V-Onu.jpg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Telojo-Valerie-Onu-Source-Telojo-V-Onu.jpg?resize=300%2C282&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Telojo Valerie Onu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tvonu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Telojo \u201cTelly\u201d Valerie Onu<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;has been at the forefront of digital financial innovation and ecosystem building with over 20 years of experience as a Financial and Impact Innovator, Digital Economist and Digital Transformation Expert. She is a thought leader and a co-author of The Insurtech Book and The Wealthtech Book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She is the Head of Governance and Execution for the Bantu Blockchain Foundation, a Seychelles Foundation with offices in Lagos, Nigeria, which governs the Bantu Network Infrastructure. She is also the International Director of Governance and Compliance for the JD Euroway Finance Group (Private Banking), which is headquartered in Canada, and is also the Director of Governance and Compliance and a Transactions Specialist for JDE FINEX, a regulated institutional digital asset exchange and liquidity provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Telly is the Founder of Valerie Capital (formerly Beyond Capital Market), a digital financial market infrastructure (DFMI) and digital asset management firm focused on embedded and alternative finance. &nbsp;She is also the Founder of Quintessence Consulting Inc., a global strategy and management consulting firm that has led multimillion-dollar investment facilitation and transformation projects and their implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"588\" height=\"600\" data-attachment-id=\"150857\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2019\/12\/ictp-086-2019-year-caribbean-ict-tech-trends-briefing\/carlton-samuels-icann\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Carlton-Samuels-ICANN.jpg?fit=588%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"588,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&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;1340564702&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;95&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;640&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Carlton Samuels (ICANN)\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/icann\/7435446190&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Carlton Samuels&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Carlton-Samuels-ICANN.jpg?fit=294%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Carlton-Samuels-ICANN.jpg?fit=588%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Carlton-Samuels-ICANN.jpg?resize=588%2C600\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-150857\" style=\"width:300px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Carlton-Samuels-ICANN.jpg?w=588&amp;ssl=1 588w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Carlton-Samuels-ICANN.jpg?resize=294%2C300&amp;ssl=1 294w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 588px) 100vw, 588px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Carlton Samuels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jm.linkedin.com\/in\/carltonsamuels\"><strong>Carlton Samuels<\/strong><\/a> is an International Consultant and heads Carlton Samuels and Associates, which specialises in areas such as technology in business strategy, ICT policy development, business process re-engineering and ICT in education. He was the Chief Information Officer and University Director of IT at The University of the West Indies (UWI). He is also an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Studies, the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the UWI in Jamaica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carlton has an extensive portfolio of volunteer work in the areas of ICT for Development (ICT4D), Internet Governance and Technology in Education. He is a member of the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) of ICANN, a foundation member and the inaugural Secretary for the Latin America and Caribbean Regional At-Large Advisory Organization (LACRALO) of ICANN and an Advisory Board member for the Microsoft Partners in Learning initiative. He is a member of the Advisory Committee for the National Information Systems (ACNIS) in Jamaica, a member of ICT4D Jamaica and the Board Committee for ICT Governance for both Human Employment and Resource Training \/National Service Training Agency (HEART\/NSTA) and the Scientific Research Council (SRC). Carlton has also been a member of the CARICOM ICT Task Force, a regional ICT leadership position charged with developing a cohesive ICT\/Digital policy framework for Caribbean governments.<\/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>Similar to previous years, the structure of the discussion is kept simple and is guided by the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What were the year&#8217;s big ICT\/tech issues in the Caribbean region?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Were there issues that gained more traction than they had anticipated, and were there ones that fell short of their expectations?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What ICT\/tech issues will be big in the Caribbean region in 2025?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What issues should policymakers focus on addressing in 2025?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Both Telly and Carlton tend to keep tabs on numerous tech segments, which is reflected in this conversation. It was thus interesting to gain some insight into the various developments that have been occurring, the challenges being experienced, and what might be needed to achieve a more meaningful impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having said this, the Caribbean region is ripe with potential and appears to be poised for a true digital transformation. It does, however, require a concerted effort to leverage existing opportunities, and being clear and intentional in the goals that ought to be achieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>We would love to hear your thoughts!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a>&nbsp;pages, or via Twitter,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTPulse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@ICTPulse<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/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,&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>do get in touch<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>.<\/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\">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\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tvonu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Telojo \u201cTelly\u201d Valerie Onu<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/jm.linkedin.com\/in\/carltonsamuels\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Carlton Samuels<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ICT Pulse Podcast episode, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/4aN2ESq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>ICTP 284: Deep tech, impact innovation and how the Caribbean region should be leveraging them, with Telly Valerie Onu<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ICT Pulse Podcast episode, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3QlppDm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>ICTP 277:&nbsp; Capitalising on Caribbean country code top-level domains with Carlton Samuels and Lance Hinds<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ICT Pulse Podcast episode, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3JGjlSo\"><em>ICTP 216: Digital skills in the Caribbean region, with Dr Barbara Reynolds and Carlton Samuels<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/papss.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PAPSS press release, <a href=\"https:\/\/papss.com\/media\/caricom-central-banks-adopt-papss-for-intra-regional-trade-transactions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>CARICOM Central Banks adopt PAPSS for intra-regional trade transactions<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exchangesunshine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Sunshine<\/a> (Trinidad and Tobago)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickcartonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">QuickCart<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ICT Pulse Podcast episode, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3FwQnCc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>ICTP 203: From side hustles and labours of love, to flying high as a successful entrepreneur, with Monique Powell<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thinkbigee.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Boosting Innovation Growth &amp; Entrepreneurship Ecosystem (BIGEE)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.llama.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Meta Llama<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Images credit:&nbsp; T Onu;&nbsp; C Samuels;&nbsp; <a href=\"http:\/\/freepik.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Freepik<\/a>;&nbsp; Gerd Altmann (<a href=\"http:\/\/pixabay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pixabay<\/a>); rawpixel.com (<a href=\"http:\/\/freepik.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Freepik<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Ch\u00e9rie), 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 this our final Community Chat and final episode for 2024, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Financial and Impact Innovator, Digital Economist and Digital Transformation Expert, Telly Valerie Onu, and International Consultant, Carlton Samuels, the panel discusses the ICT\/technology trends and developments that were evident across the Caribbean region in 2024, and what might be in store in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":172104,"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":[71,204,15],"class_list":["post-172103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-businesses","tag-innovation-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\/2024\/12\/Featured-Image-%E2%80%93-2024-Trends-Briefing.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-ILR","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172103","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=172103"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":172114,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172103\/revisions\/172114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}