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ICT
(INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY)
ICT is a Driver of Economic Growth
Make Jamaica the Silicon Valley of the Caribbean
Steps to the Digital Society
The JLP Government will make ICT, under a single regulatory body, a focal point for increasing employment and diversification and for
improving Government services to citizens.
•
Establish true universal access, making Internet access to essential Government and educational services free
•
Introduce eHOME: (The Electronic Home-based Mode of Employment), the “Work from Home” initiative to boost
productivity by reducing time lost in transit
•
Work closely with the Ministry of Education to ensure effective use of technology to support teaching and learning
as well as improved administration
•
We will repeal the 15-year old Telecommunications Act and replace it with a new ICT Act.
Technology Innovation Fund
Innovation leads to prosperity. We have to invest more in
technology innovation and cultivate a more sustainable and
vibrant environment for start-up initiatives.
The JLP Government will create a Technology Innovation Fund
(TIF) to catalyse the growth of technology-based ventures. Start-
ups without funding don’t start. And in hard economic times
venture capitalists may not always be around. So we must create
a sustained fund that will always be there to foster technology
innovation.
As a nation we must move from simple consumption of technology
to becoming participants in the production of technology, whether
software or
hardware.Wehave a growing number of young people
with ICT skills, students and experienced business people who
can develop the opportunities. With the correct support, we can
make Jamaica the Silicon Valley of the Caribbean.