By Shawn Seabrookes
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is determined not to be left in the dust of technological advancement by signing an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Agreement, during a brief ceremony at the Taiwanese Embassy, on Tuesday, June 19th.
Caption: Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Technology, Hon. Nigel Carty, recieving cheque from Tawainese Ambassador His, Excellency John Liu
The brief ceremony was one of dual purpose as the Taiwanese Government also made a donation of EC$500,000 to the local government for the renovation of a building at the Caleb Azariah Paul Southwell Industrial Estate, to house an ICT Centre.
The Taiwanese Ambassador, His Excellency John Liu, stemmed from recent discussions with the local Government about their plans to embark full throttle into a services oriented sector, since the closure of the sugar industry in 2006.
Hence, both governments have expanded their scope of cooperation into the ICT sector- in addition to extensive collaboration in the agricultural, health, education, social development and training and infrastructural sectors.
His Excellency Mr. Liu outlined that ICT facility is expected to be established by the end of this year, 2007, and it has two main objectives- to conduct e-government projects with the hope of improving efficient operations within government departments and to provide training so that St. Kitts and Nevis would become a more computer literate society.
Ambassador Liu noted that this recent decision by his government is yet another testimony to the very strong relations between his government and that of the Federation. ~~Adz:Right~~
Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Technology, Hon. Nigel Carty, signed the Agreement on behalf of the local Government and accepted the financial donation as well.
Minister Carty said he was extremely pleased with the Taiwanese generosity and emphasized the need for the Government to keep abreast with technology, especially in this “instant” age button, where it is imperative for information to be accessible at the push of a button.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Hon. Sam Condor, also applauded the generosity of the Taiwanese Government and people.
He too pointed out that the excellent diplomatic relations between the two states have been extremely beneficial and said he was confident that there was much more collaborative ventures between the two in the near future.
The ICT Centre is expected to be opened before the end of this year, 2007.
