Making Barbados 'Smart'

Plans are afoot for the formation of a digital communications coalition, aimed at making Barbados a ‘smart’ nation.

“The purpose of this dynamic digital communications coalition will be to help the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology to shape the message of a smart Barbados that will be targeted at various groups. We recognise that the way young people under 25 would respond to digital transformation will be different than the 80s and over and the Barbados Association of Retired Persons has come on board to bring their several thousands of members along with us,” Minister of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology Senator Kay McConney stated.

Addressing those gathered yesterday for the final day of the inaugural Smart Barbados week at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, she said the coalition will be between various shareholders and citizens and pointed out private sector partners’ platforms will be used to ensure information was available and accessible on solutions being implemented.

At the time, she announced internships had been offered for the 70 digital ambassadors who successfully completed the program. These jobs will begin during the Christmas vacation and held at Cave Shepherd, PBS, Ernst and Young and Digicel.

She outlined further plans of adding to these numbers with the intention of raising “an army” of tech savvy young people to be deployed in community resource centres, libraries and other areas to help Barbadians become au fait with available technology.

In addition, Mcconney spoke on the Barbados Tech Accelerator “designed to create solutions that are customised for Barbados to address various challenges we have in government and in society,” noting this would be used to find sustainable technological solutions in areas like health care, sanitation and water.

The Senator revealed that a Memorandum of Understanding will be drafted with Estonia’s E-Governance academy to set up a technical framework allowing Barbados’ government to share data across a secure platform.
“We expect that the first technical engagement of our respective teams will happen in about another two weeks,” she said to the applause of those gathered. (JMB)