Grenada Pushes On In E-Commerce Drive

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

22 June 2001

Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell, has praised the attempts of Grenada's IT sector to promote the country's information and communication services as a platform for its fledgling e-commerce industry. Speaking at a seminar on e-commerce, co-organised by the Grenada Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) and Nortel Networks Ltd., Dr Mitchell said that Grenada can no longer rely upon its agricultural exports to support the economy and e-commerce should be nurtured as a viable alternative.

The Prime Minister explained: 'The promotion of information and communication services represents, for the Government of Grenada, a vital part of our diversification effort, and our search for alternatives to commodity agriculture. The decline of Grenada's commodity export trade has had a devastating impact on the country's capacity to earn foreign exchange, to generate employment and to pursue agricultural and rural programmes. Moreover, the liberalizing of trade and the reduction of tariffs levels in response to global requirements have seriously weakened the government's revenue-generating capacity, in some areas.'

Dr Mitchell argued that knowledge and skills provide the best resource alternative to create more jobs, attract new service industries to the Island and expand the economy. He said that this has led the government to determine that 'rapid development of the nation's capacity to exploit ICT will create opportunities for Grenada to develop service exports across a wide range of areas. Information and communication technologies render the size of the economy less important than its knowledge and skill competitiveness.'

Therefore, declared Dr Mitchell, in order to develop such a 'knowledge-based economy' in Grenada, measures will be decided upon which will exploit the advantages of new digital technologies. He said that small businesses based on the Island can better take advantage of the Internet as a low-cost marketing tool for small volumes of exports of products and services. 'In this regard', announced Dr Mitchell, 'the Government is pleased to see the joint exercise between a local Agency, such as the GIDC, and an important multinational corporation, such as Nortel Networks.'

Dr Mitchell explained: 'Nortel's technology progress in communication, and in Internet technologies are particularly attractive to Grenada. Its superior solution architecture in the Internet Telephony market can offer a valuable and low cost alternative to Grenada businesses. Nortel's strength in Wireless solutions, in networking, in optical infrastructure can lend themselves to several advantages in Grenada.'

The government has begun preparations on the draft of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Action Plan, the objectives of which include:

• Raising and developing awareness, building vision and generating enthusiasm about the advantageous use of ICT in everyday social and economic life
• Designing and implementing policies to capture information and knowledge for development
• Promoting and building connectivity and the necessary infrastructure for access to information and development
• Building human and social capacities and institutions, and providing training and education to impart requisite skills
• Creating new livelihood and employment opportunities
• Empowering communities and disadvantaged groups; reinforcing participatory approaches and good governance, and fostering networking
• Building a public service that allows and encourages electronic access to public information, and facilitates low-cost electronic transactions with the civil society.

Dr Mitchell concluded his speech by stating that the government is 'looking forward to the successful launching of e-commerce awareness and developments in Grenada. And the Government pledges its support for positive outcomes and initiatives in this field. The government of Grenada is totally committed to the development of Grenada as a Knowledge Society.'

Recommended