CANTO2019: Collaboration for inclusive digital transformation
I attended the 35th Annual CANTO meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad, under
the theme "Transitioning to a Digital Region - Opportunities and
Challenges". Over 500 participants including ministers, regulators and the
private sector attended the conference.
ITU continues to actively engage with a large number of Caribbean countries
on digital transformation issues, from smart cities; e-agriculture;
m-payments; e-government, connected health care; digital transition, and
more.
I emphasized that collaboration will be the key ingredient that will bind
all our actions on digital transformation into a coherent whole that
translates into the ubiquitous, meaningful, people centric connectivity
that changes lives.
I also encouraged all Caribbean nations to establish a National Emergency
Telecommunications Plan and to work closely with ITU to deploy ICTs for
disaster risk reduction, so that together we can harness the power of
technology to protect lives, and livelihoods.
At the conference, I learnt that Trinidad and Tobago boasts a world number
one: the Moruga Scorpion Pepper, which has been ranked by independent
experts as the most powerful chili pepper in the world. I likened the
formidable power of the Moruga Scorpion to the formidable potential of ICTs
to inject a massive surge of power into the global development agenda. ICTs
are the powerhouse for growth for every sector, and every economy,
worldwide.
Read my
full speech
