Overview

The Ministry of Science, Commerce and Technology has decided to make the effort to help the Jamaican economy.  The Ministry established a Central Information Technology office that will aid in the hiring of IT workers for the tech firms.  CITO will be responsible for  monitoring and implementing the IT strategies that the Ministry has put forward.

The branches of government within Jamaica are introducing ICT to both public and private sectors of the country.  Jamaica is trying to bridge the digital divide between both the rural and developed parts of the island.

The government wants to put computers in most areas of the island.  The government wants the citizens to embrace IT.  That is the reason why they are putting IT in (elementary) grammar school.  By starting out young with the population hopefully they can teach their parents how to use the technology.

The policy will carry out the following criteria: introduce Public Modernization project, (privatizing or contracting out Government services in cases where these services are better performed by private providers 2) reforming the Government procurement system to improve transparency and efficiency; 3) the establishment of computerized information systems in the public sector to improve financial and personnel management. )  welcome E-government in multiple agencies to better serve their citizens and also Increase community access to Internet. 

At this present time Jamaica’s Informatics Sector Development Action Plan of 2000 is still a work in progress.  Jamaica so far have trained 5,000 citizens to work in their IT sector.  With the deregulation of the telecom market Jamaica has opened up their country to competition, this has help the prices of some services to go down or remain consistent. 

Jamaica’s ICT Mandates and Capabilities

The Informatics Sector Development Action Plan of 2000 has five major objectives:

§      To promote Jamaica as a prime location for ICT businesses.

§      To position Jamaica as an “intelligent/silicon” island.

§      To increase the earning potential of the informatics sector to capture a significant share of the US $70 million Caribbean market.

§      To identify key knowledge-based industries, which will ensure that Jamaica, keeps pace with 21st century development and environments.

§      To assist in the creation of 40,000 jobs over four years with 5,000 jobs in the first year.

The businesses targeted in this regard were call centers software development and telecommunication operations.  The catalyst for growth of the ICT industry has been the deregulation of the telecommunications industry that has triggered reduction in rates and introduction of new products and services. (31)

Background February 2000

The Government of Jamaica has made the integration of information technology into the Jamaican economy a high priority and a strategic imperative.  It aims to promote Jamaica as a Caribbean hub for IT activities and investments.  A three step approach which includes the transformation in human resource development, and in infrastructure and involving legislative and policy framework.  A Cabinet sub-committee for IT is steering the process, together with a newly set up Central IT office (CITO).  The former Ministry of Industry and Commerce now has “Technology” added to its name and government has publicized its intention to generate 40,000 IT-related jobs in the coming three-year period.  Strategic and other measures being adopted in the short term include:

§      the annual allocation of 2 to 4 percent of the national budget to IT initiatives

§      catalyzing Ministry tactical plans, with an emphasis on education, for the harnessing of ICT’s in the various socio-economic sectors

§      the introduction of a strong IT component in the Public Sector Modernization Program

§      accelerating the introduction of computer labs in educational institutions

§      facilitating private sector initiatives to dramatically increase public access to the Internet

§      create a Chief Information Officer position within each Ministry

§      the establishment of a transparent regulatory framework, adaptable to the emerging e-business environment and covering areas such as privacy, intellectual property and digital signatures

§      a system of investment incentives to spread IT activities geographically across Jamaica

§      the development of an appropriate infrastructure to facilitate the delivery of government services. (6)

In addition, a series of high-profile pilot projects are being undertaken to demonstrate the benefits of IT in the short-term.  These projects are intended to further the goal of universal access and emphasize public access to information.  The post office network is earmarked for the delivery of a wide range of community services, such as on-line health care, weather and disaster preparedness bulletins, the marketing of products and agricultural extension services.  Expansion of this infrastructure will also facilitate greater public access to government services, communication with government agencies, parliament and parliamentarians, thereby reinforcing the democratic process.

Long-term goals include:

§      the creation of a nationwide public IT network which is competitively priced, utilizes multiple sources and relies on the private sector

§      the provision of efficient government services to the public through the use of IT

§      the use of IT to increase international trade

§      the adoption of e-commerce for Government functions, as a stimulus to private sector take-up.  The latter will also be facilitated through the provision of the infrastructure components for the take-up of e-commerce and e-business. (7)

Public Sector Modernization

The Government of Jamaica, the World Bank, and the British Department are funding the Public Sector Modernization program for International Development and the European Union.  The aim is to modernize 17 pilot agencies and 3 pilot Ministries, in order to enhance efficiency and improve performance, as well as the quality of service provided to the public.  Ten pilot agencies will be transformed into Executive Agencies, with greater responsibility for service delivery, financial management and human resource management.  Executive Agencies will be rewarded for realizing efficiency gains, improving effectiveness or realizing revenue increases.  Other aspects of the public sector program include: 1) privatizing or contracting out Government services in cases where these services are better performed by private providers 2) reforming the Government procurement system to improve transparency and efficiency; 3) the establishment of computerized information systems in the public sector to improve financial and personnel management.  The next phase of the program involves extending the reforms to the entire public sector. (7)

Under the National IT Strategy the relevant goals state that:

§      The Government of Jamaica plans to provide its citizen with efficient government services through the use of IT

§      Networks will be established to allow access to government services from libraries, post offices, banks, hospitals and other public locations.  The Government will coordinate the locations access, presentation methods, and sharing of resources.  The key focus is to have citizens throughout the country, even in rural areas, be able to find and receive information and services from different government organizations consistently and easily.

Actions towards this end include:

§      Delivery of two types of services 1) providing information to the public, and 2) allowing transactions to be performed.  Early emphasis is to be placed on the former provision of information to the public.  The Minister of Commerce and Technology will establish a goal to provide a certain percentage of information services to the public within the next three years.  For example, 25% of information services will be provided by the year 2003.

§      Identifying a set of government services suitable for electronic self-service.  Enough progress has been made in other countries in the area of electronic government to permit identification and widespread deployment of a core set of commonly requested government services that citizens can initiate and complete in a single electronic session.

§      Expand locations where public can access information and obtain public services.  To ensure that all citizens have equal access to technology, establish a network of kiosk or computer systems that provides Government information and services in prominent locations in each region of Jamaica.  Jamaica also wants to broaden access to the rural communities; IT needs to be placed where the public can use it in convenient community locations, such as libraries, post offices, banks, hospitals, and other government offices.  For example, rural public libraries can be networked with main libraries to expand the services that are available to the public throughout the country. (6)

Development March 2002

The Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology has long remained personally convinced of the potential of ICT to transform Jamaica into a technology advance country.  By creating new economic opportunities, enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of local enterprise, and by its ability to facilitate greater transparency and responsiveness on the part of the government.  ICT can be a powerful enabler of development as they seek to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the global networked economy.  It is for this reason that the Jamaican government has made ICT one of its main priorities.  There has been significant growth of mobile communications, the increasing contribution of digital industries to growth and employment; the restructuring of businesses to make the most of new technologies, and Jamaica has also been laying the foundation for electronic commerce and e-government.  Today, digital technologies make it easier and more cost effective to access information, store it and transmit it.  Taking digital information, transforming it into economic and social value, offers huge opportunities for the development of new products and services.  Government and, indeed all sectors of our economy, must adapt to the new economic paradigm restructuring to become e-compatible.  Today, Jamaica embrace the digital revolution is not only about using the Internet as a platform for e-commerce.  They are implementing policies, which seek to facilitate their industries to re-engineer their organization and processes to use the Internet to increase their productivity to widen their market reach and to broaden their worldwide presence.  They are convinced that digital technologies are the key to growth and employment.  E-transactions are set to become an important growth factor for the Jamaican economy.  However, there are new and difficult challenges: above all to remove complex legal uncertainties, and to create an environment in which both businesses and consumers can enjoy confidence and trust, while protecting our revenue base from any negative fallout.  As a result, Jamaica is seeking an appropriate framework of rules and codes of conduct, in areas such as taxation, tariffs, copyright, data protection, encryption, authentication, and liability.  Increasingly, information technology is being utilized to promote distance teaching as an integral part of Jamaica’s education and training system.  All Jamaica’s secondary and tertiary educational institutions no have computer laboratories, while more than 60% of our primary and junior high schools are so equipped. (7)

E-Government

The e-government component of the project seeks to facilitate and enhance the relationship between the government and citizens through the application of electronic mechanisms.  A critical element of this process is the enabling of fiscal agencies to offer online services, including payments.  The first phase of this project will include general consumption tax, income tax, national insurance and other statutory deductions.  All government agencies that offer services to the public will eventually be enabled for electronic transactions.  The cost of implementing this project is estimated at US$ 3.6 million and involves Internet network infrastructure and equipment.  The modernization of the Customs Department and the Office of the Registrar of Companies are among the Agencies well positioned for full on-line transactions, including the payment of fees.  The potential benefits to citizens, banks and the government will be significant and will justify the investment.  In addition because of the impact that the development will generate in the region and among other developing countries, we expect that it will attract international funding and multilateral support.  Plans are also at an advanced stage to implement the Portmore Telecity Network, which is part of an e-governance scheme, which aims to apply technology to solve community governance problems, and further bolster Portmore’s reputation as a growing technology center, in addition to its already existing Informatics Park.  This forms par of an E-governance initiative spearheaded by community stakeholders in collaboration with governmental organizations. (7)