Government Readies for Growth in E-Services
~~Adz:Right~~Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 04, 2008 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has a clear path in the way forward for the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the expansion of E-Government services.
This was stressed by ICT Development Coordinator Christopher Herbert on this week’s edition of the SKNIS radio magazine, Perspectives.
The local policy programme is guided by the National ICT Strategic Plan which was finalized in November 2006. However, much like the technology, things are adjusted to take into account current developments and best practices. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a strong partner of St. Kitts and Nevis in many areas including ICT. Its success in the IT industry is largely attributed to the ability to reinvent itself.
Mr. Herbert stated that the success stories were shared at last week’s E-Government Seminar. The one-day event was hosted by the local Government in collaboration with the ROC. A number of representatives from regional countries including Jamaica, Belize and Barbados also attended.
“They were thoroughly impressed with the presentations, particularly the morning session which highlighted Taiwan’s road from a new IT-based society, to what it is today,” said Mr. Herbert.
He added that Taiwan, which is widely regarded as the Asian technology hub for state-of-the-art manufacturing and research, has an impressive IT infrastructure and excellent E-Government services.
This and other related topics were covered in the presentations on “E-Government in Taiwan – Capacity Building and Strategies” as well as “Internet Development and Management.”
“The beauty of their E-services is that they did not just throw them at the people. They were all based on information which they collected from the population with regards to their needs,” the ICT government official stated. He commented that the stories from Taiwan were instrumental as it outlined some of the do’s and don’ts in establishing and expanding E-services.
Mr. Herbert stressed that the St. Kitts and Nevis E-Government development is still information-based, incorporating email and a Government web portal. He indicated that the second half of 2009, may see the expansion into greater service provision. Whenever that time comes he promised that a vigorous public consultation campaign will be conducted in order to accurately assess the needs of the populace in relation to E-services.
“We have a keen eye out there and we see what’s working. We want these services to be to the benefit of the general public, not just the Government,” Herbert explained.
