Low ranking on ICT

The Caribbean does “very poorly” in global rankings on information and communication technology (ICT), says Organization of Caribbean Utility Regulators chairman Zia Mian.
Addressing delegates at the organisation’s ninth annual conference last Wednesday, he lamented that only six regional countries were mentioned in the International Telecommunication Union’s recently published ICT Development Index.
According to its 2011 report, Barbados ranked highest as 41st among 152 countries, with Antigua and Barbuda closely behind at 42nd. Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and Jamaica ranked 61st, 82nd and 85th, respectively.
Guyana was the only other Caribbean country listed and occupied 90th position.
Mian told the gathering at the Accra Beach Hotel that the region should not be “proud” of these rankings.
“We need to focus on ICT and see how we can internalize the developments which are taking place in other places and how we can move forward,” he said.
The chairman suggested that states which were not listed should conduct a data-gathering exercise, while listed ones should seek to identify areas that needed attention or correction.
The ICT Development Index, first presented in 2009, is a composite index combining 11 indicators into one benchmark measure that serves to monitor and compare developments in ICT across countries.
The indicators fall under the sub-indices of ICT access, use and skills.