ST. KITTS AND NEVIS ADOPTS 21ST CENTURY GOVERNMENT APPROACH, SAYS MINISTER VINCENT BYRON

Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 26, 2018 (SKNIS): St. Kitts and Nevis has already began to implement a 21^st Century Government approach, said Minister of Communications and Attorney General, the Honourable Vincent Byron, during a ceremony to officially declare ICT Week-St. Kitts and Nevis open, on Tuesday, September 25, at Government House.

“We here in St. Kitts and Nevis have started a number of initiatives in which we will seek to enhance the delivery, quality, adoption and usage of government e-services; provide citizens with quality government information and allow for their active participation in the development of public policy through feedback mechanisms,” he said. “Also too, we have adopted a whole government approach as we interact with various ministries to obtain an in-depth understanding and assessment of their current business processes, policies, systems and human resource capabilities.”

The communications minister said that in order to accomplish such, an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Governance Board was established in 2015, shortly after assuming office “to provide oversight on matters relating to the integration of ICT development in various aspects of government and to provide greater efficiencies to reduce cost and improve service delivery to citizens, residents and businesses alike.”

The board, which comprises of permanent secretaries, directors and heads of departments from across various ministries, also provides policy directives to the Minister of Justice, Legal Affairs and Communication, providing a direct link to the Cabinet of Ministers.

“In addition to support the work of the ICT Governance Board a technical committee was also established to provide direction on technical matters on the request of the ICT Governance Board,” said Minister Byron. “This approach realizes the importance of collaboration and the need to integrate our processes, systems and capacity building.”

While on collaborative efforts, it is important to note that the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis through the Department of Information Technology has been deploying a number of ICT solutions towards the broader goal of ICT Development.

“We find that in a number of departments there have been the objectives to work to deliver to citizens, businesses and stakeholders the types of services that transform the Federation to a digital economy that is inclusive, innovative and responsive,” said Minister Byron. “Presently, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is embarking on the process to initiate a national digital strategy which will provide a comprehensive road map for effecting this transformation.”

Minister Byron commended the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) – the regional organization that is collaborating with the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis to host this week’s event – on the adoption of their mission towards the 21^st Century Government.

The conference which runs from September 24-28 is held under the theme: “21^st Century Government – Enhancing Connections, Accelerating Progress”. Events continue on Thursday with the 17^th Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar, followed by a very important workshop for people living with disabilities, on Friday, September 28.

The Attorney General said he looks forward to the workshop as the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis tends to expand and include all of the citizens even those who may be challenged in some way of the other.