business
Vishanna Phagoo
By 2021, in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic, businesses around the world were left with no choice but to make a massive change and use technology to stay afloat. People did everything online, from getting food to work.
Now, the government is promoting a digitization policy. Plans emerged in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 budgets to turn Trinidad and Tobago into a digital nation.
SkillPik communications officer Natalie Williams agreed with the plan and said there is a lot to consider for the fiscal year, summing up her perception of the government’s digitization plan in a simple quote: “Supporting innovation will ultimately encourage growth.”
She said, “Further tax breaks for technology companies will play an important role in
stimulating digitization in industry and recognizing innovation on a national scale can provide further impetus.”
This comes after Finance Minister Colm Imbert had announced, in the 2021-2022 budget, a five percent tax cut over three years for small and medium-sized enterprises whose main goal is digitization.
Williams said organizations also have a role to play, which provide funding and assistance in the form of new technology, and can also cultivate networks at financial institutions, universities and other organizations.
“These networks and the flow of information they have will make it possible to reduce many of the risks associated with the formation of new enterprises and thereby overcome many of the barriers that hinder innovation.”
She added that another way to achieve this would be to create a work environment that will result in stability and secure results.
“Fostering an enabling environment by ensuring that the legal and regulatory framework adapts to the ongoing transformation. There must be alignment with the global economy so that foreign investors are not prevented or hindered, and…local businesses feel enticed to transform the way they do business as well.”
In addition, she said, national initiatives and policies must be implemented rapidly, as they are crucial for transformation.
This comes after projects such as cashless transactions, WiFi hubs, digital skills training centers and local online markets were mentioned in the last two readings of the budget.
“As we strive to close the digital divide, we must also recognize the opportunity to learn from other countries and develop customized solutions that are specifically geared to address our unique needs in TT. Changing culture at a faster pace can reinforce competition on a global scale, which can narrow the gap between words and actions as technologies develop at an exponential pace.”
Williams also mentioned a new country strategy that was approved in March 2022 by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). This strategy will support the digital transformation of the TT economy. Purpose
is improving the business environment to enable digital transformation, expanding the use of digital tools to improve educational outcomes and digital skills and improve service delivery.
Williams said that although this is in the works, these initiatives and others need to be worked on before the TT can be successfully digitized.
She explained, “Improving digital infrastructure will have to be multifaceted. Internet connectivity is one element, but there are other key elements that need to be considered simultaneously.
“There is also the element of reliability – can the infrastructure withstand the consequences of climate change?”
Williams said there is a need to improve not only infrastructure, but also data collection. This would require monitoring and planning next steps to give a more calculated approach to taking more calculated risks.
While these are all priorities for the digital transformation step, Williams said they should
be programs to help adults develop their technological skills for the new movement.
“While the younger generation may find it easy to learn and adapt to new technologies, we cannot forget the importance of developing the skills of the older generation.
which still make a very valuable contribution to productivity.”
While Williams offered hopeful measures in TT’s digitization process, digital strategist Keron Rose had a different view.
“To be quite honest, I think I’m just at the point where when the government talks about digitalisation, it’s been such a buzzword for years that I’m a bit skeptical now. I need to see something tangible, and not just another launch of something for the headlines, but something where the impact is felt in our community.”
Rose referred to the WiFi hub initiative that was talked about in the previous budget and said he knows it’s a good thing, as many have access issues. He then touched on Parlor Caribbean, an online shopping platform to bring awareness to Caribbean culture and provide a different shopping experience regardless of shoppers’ geographic location.
“Government is big on Parlor Caribbean and pushing the artisan community to sell online, and they talked about it like it was a problem.
“However, we have been able to sell online for years, either by building their own websites or using any of the 50+ online marketplaces that already exist in TT.”
Rose has an extensive list on his website at keronrose.com, with over 40 markets listed.
He added, “So at this point, their plans are a wait for me.
“There are many other things that businesses can do themselves in terms of digitizing, selling online and earning their currency, and the real issue is simple: we need more education on the plethora of tools we already have at our disposal. available. .
TT Telecommunication Services (TSTT) assistant general manager of emerging services and innovations Keino Cox, who is responsible for Parlor Caribbean said including their shopping platform that they are offering Parlor University.
“Parlor University is an online platform built on Parlor Caribbean where we have masterclasses on product placement and branding and how you make your products export ready and so on. As we speak, there are memorandums of understanding (MoU) and main local entities that I can not reveal now. But in the field of certification of best practices for product quality and so on, assurance of testing, training of artisans, so Parlor University offers a unique space otherwise from any other platform.”
Communications Minister Symon de Nobriga added that he attended the opening of Parlor Caribbean in August and believes that it is quite valuable.
“I attended the opening and their collaboration with Export Centers Company Limited was something that I think brings real value to our local artisans as it creates more opportunities for visibility and widens the network for trade opportunities.”
Cox said this helps businesses both regionally and locally to export their safe products within the area and even to international markets. He added that they now have thousands of companies shortlisted to join their platform, but the number of existing customers could not be made available at the time.
Mark Lyndersay also expressed his thoughts on TT’s approach to digitization by referring to an article published on his website, TechNewsTT.
He said, “Creating a digital nation” is listed as seven out of nine priority areas, and while the list of development goals is perhaps not organized by priority, there is little in next year’s Public Sector Investment Program that sets any priorities for The new Digital Transformation. Ministry”.
Lyndersay said that while the government wants to focus on international connectivity, which ensures people still have access to information and services in the event of an outage, there are other aspects to focus on.
“While this is a reasonable thought, it is not the only reason why local government data sets should be hosted locally. International data connectivity is not even the most important. There are issues of privacy and sovereignty inherent in managing of state data sets and they are not discussed anywhere”.
