Gov’t far advanced in establishing ICT Authority – Vaz
Published:Thursday | November 17, 2022 | 12:06 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
THE GOVERNMENT is far advanced in its bid to establish the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Authority.
Daryl Vaz, minister of science, energy and technology, made the announcement during his presentation at the Rotary Club of St Andrew’s weekly luncheon on Tuesday at Pollyanna Caterers on Stanton Terrace in Kingston.
The legislation to establish the ICT Authority was tabled in the House of Representatives on March 20, 2019.
“We legislated the establishment of an ICT Authority which, with the appointment of a chief information officer, will lead the transformation of public institutions,” Vaz said.
“Work is far advanced on the establishment of the ICT Authority. The Government is in the throes of a compensation review for the public sector, and this review includes the structure for the new authority and as such, we anticipate that by the end of the financial year, we should be able to close out discussions on this issue with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and move towards a fully operational ICT Authority,” he said.
The technology minister pointed out that all the legislative requirements have already been instituted. These include: the Data Protection Act, e-Transactions Act, and the Cybercrimes Act, which is now under review by a joint select committee of Parliament and is expected to be completed before the end of this financial year.
Vaz also said the Government’s vision is to create a digital society by 2030, which will be achieved through a carefully crafted mix of policies, strategies, partnerships and dexterity in the use of public and grant-funded resources.
“In terms of policies and strategies, the Government is aware that our National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy, fit for purpose as it was in 2011, is now, in large measure, inadequate to address the strategies required to get us to digital society status by 2030,” he said.
Vaz also said that with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank, a digital strategy is being developed.
The strategy is expected to address, among other things, the interoperability of government systems, the quality and ease of access to government data/records, and the legal and regulatory framework which must be in place to support a digital society.