What the PNP hopes to do in IT

TECHNOLOGY PLAN

OUR FIVE Year Strategic Information Technology Plan for Jamaica provides opportunities for advancing economic growth and creating high quality jobs in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Under the Plan the ICT sector will be developed as:

• A platform for upgrading production methodologies and enhancing our international competitiveness
• An enabler of modernisation in all sectors - tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, health, education, mining, construction, finance and other service sectors
• A job creation activity in its own right and a contributor to increased employment in all sectors that utilise technology. It should be noted that e-commerce has revolutionised business transactions and facilitated more effective competition with larger developed economies.
  Specific projects to be implemented in the next term include:
• Expansion of the Information Technology Business Incubator at the University of Technology. This will create the appropriate physical and technological environment for the growth of technology/knowledge-based enterprises. This incubator will support the provision of appropriate technology support services.
• An Information Technology Employment Creation and Development Programme to create high quality jobs, strengthen our human resource base and facilitate life-long learning and retraining
• A quick-start Facility and Venture Capital Fund to be financed by multi-lateral institutions
• Continued sector expansion through investments such as the recent commitment by West Corporation, America's largest outbound Call Centre, to an agreement with locally-based Tekeservices Limited for the operation of contact centres in Montego Bay and Portmore.
• In the next term, we will continue and expand information technology training in:
• HEART Academies.
• Community Colleges.
• High Schools which will facilitate high-end training through an expanded Caribbean Institute of Technology Programme.
  The newly-liberalised telecommunication sector is now experiencing phenomenal expansion. New investors - Digicel and Centennial Digital are together investing approximately US$500 million in communications infrastructure, in addition to a massive capital outlay by Cable and Wireless.
  In the next term, we will:
• Complete full telecoms liberalisation by March 2003
• Encourage competition in the market to expand services and lower prices to consumers
• Open up international voice services
• Allow Cable TV providers to deliver services such as Internet and international voice telephony
• Introduce fixed wireless service
• Expand telephone service to provide universal access
  The mineral industry is one of the strategic industry clusters that will serve as a focal point of investment, export push and growth. Major new developments are underway which demonstrate the confidence of investors.
  These include the following:
• Tripartite arrangements for enhancing competitiveness in the bauxite industry and revision of fiscal arrangements to boost investment for modernisation and expansion
• Investment in the bauxite industry starting with the US$115 million expansion of the Jamalco plant and the 200,000 tonne expansion of the Alpart plant
• Expansion of limestone production and export of limestone-based high value products
• Development of other non-bauxite activities including marble and items and semi-precious stones to enhance the craft supply to the tourism industry
• Expansion of production of volcanic rocks to meet demand from local and export sectors
• Expansion of cement production to meet local and export needs.