The anatomy of a national ICT plan

Aug 30, 2015 News

---

By Lance Hinds

I wish once again to highlight the words of the Minister of Finance during the presentation of the 2015 Budget in Parliament.
“One of the first initiatives, therefore, must be the establishment of an advisory body to develop the broad vision of this administration into a detailed plan that specifies the individual projects that must be implemented in order to realize our strategic objectives”
In support of this perspective, what is required is a national information technology plan that can serve as the long term roadmap for national development and the creation of an information society and knowledge-driven economy.
The ICT plan first of all should be positioned as a strategic priority area in the overall vision of national development. It should be based on two fundamental pillars; the growth of ICT as an independent dynamic sector and the application of ICT as a cross-cutting component in all other sectors in order to achieve rapid and sustained development. These sectors must include education, health, governance, science, innovation and the creative industries.
A national, multi-stakeholder task force must be created to develop the ICT plan. This task force must consist of members from all the sectors that contribute significantly to national development and be tasked with the development of at minimum, a 10-year plan with a goal to make Guyana an ideal place to live, work and engage in sustainable and profitable economy activities.
There must be specific objectives, for example the staggered reduction of employment, improvement in the delivery of government-related services, specific targets in terms of sector contribution to GDP based on specific inputs.
I need not tell anyone that information technology is a sector that changes, evolves and disrupts society on an almost daily basis. The plan therefore must be in a sense, a living document. It must be based on a dynamic planning model that allows for flexibility and rapid change in recognition of the constant evolution of this industry.
As part of its mandate, the task force must engage in the following activities:
· Structured meetings to gather ideas on ICT issues and challenges facing Guyana and developing the vision for the full utilization of ICT in the long term development of the country.
· Establishing working groups for the various dimensions of the ICT sector and coordination of all inputs.
· Review of international best practices that can be used within the Guyana context
· Development of an Action Plan with specific responsibilities and timelines

There is a tendency in Guyana to engage in long-drawn-out consultative processes that end up with tons and tons of paper being placed on shelves with other tons and tons of paper. It is not necessary nor should it be tolerated. Some work has already been done and there are a lot of successful, comprehensive models in existence all over the Caribbean and Latin America. This must be an agile, deliverables-based process with realistic but still aggressive timeframes.
It is recommended therefore that the development of the ICT plan be structured as follows:
· A situational analysis to gain a perspective on the current utilization and effectiveness of ICT in the various government and economic sectors.
· A review of the existing legislative framework in terms of supporting the growth of ICT is also necessary;
· Analysis of current state, strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats with feedback from key stakeholders including Government, businesses, and the wider community taken into account;
· The development of a strategic vision and performance measurement framework;
· The creation of the monitoring and evaluation methodology to ensure the success of the initiative;
· Development of the ICT plan and a series of small group consultations, panel reviews and online consultations to receive and include all concerns and recommendations for the final delivery of the plan.
The ICT strategy should surround itself around the following themes, strategic thrusts and initiatives:
Innovation and human capital development – The thrust should be the fostering of a knowledge-driven, e-ready generation. This can be supported by initiatives like increased education delivery via e-learning and supporting the creation and promotion of local content.
E-inclusion – The primary objective is the bridging of the digital divide. Initiatives should include increasing the accessibility and affordability of the relevant technologies and building the awareness of the benefits of the use of ICT.
ICT Sector Development – This is the building of a sustainable, profitable e-enterprise environment. Initiatives would include rapid, comprehensive capacity building and enabling the Production, Distribution, and promotion of local ICT products and services.
Infrastructure – This is critical to the successful utilization of ICT in our society. Accessibility, Governance and Usage must be enhanced. Initiatives include instituting appropriate Governance structures to drive infrastructure planning and development and improving the regulatory framework for ICT sustainability and revenue generation and building Government infrastructure to facilitate a vibrant and sustainable e-government system.
E-Government – The primary objective must be to work as an efficient, integrated government. There must be a strategy to share ICT systems and processes in the interest of cost and to satisfy citizens with the effective, transparent delivery of a wide range of services. Private sectors and other stakeholder organizations must also participate in and benefit significantly from these services.
The national ICT plan must provide a coherent, comprehensive network for the identification and marshalling of economic resources in keeping with our overall development goals. The return on the investment in technology, whether at the policy and infrastructure level, must be monitored, with existing programmes incorporated to ensure continuity. Clear strategies must be outlined to incorporate ICT into health, education and food production and other services critical to national development.
The overall result must be a national plan of action that can be implemented in realistic phases throughout public and productive sectors to achieve the cherished vision of a progressive, developed and prospering society in Guyana.
Lance Hinds is the current President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of the BrainStreet Group, an ICT consulting and information services company.

---

---