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| Jamaica's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Dr Kenneth Baugh, who signed the MOU with High Commissioner of the Republic of India to Jamaica, Mohinder Grover, commended India for its support of South-South development in trade, especially through technical assistance, spreading the word of information technology growth. (File photo) | |
KINGSTON, Jamaica, September 11, 2008 - Jamaica has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with India to set up an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre in that Caribbean island.
The agreement, which falls under the Indian Technical Cooperation Programme, entails a US$1 million grant for the Jamaica government and will also provide for the setting up of an ICT Training Laboratory. The Indian government will also supply courseware and trainers.
Jamaica's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Dr Kenneth Baugh, who signed the MOU with High Commissioner of the Republic of India to Jamaica, Mohinder Grover, commended India for its support of South-South development in trade, especially through technical assistance, spreading the word of information technology growth.
He said that efforts were previously made in Jamaica to employ the use of ICT when a Satellite Communications Centre was established in Montego Bay in the 1980's.
But Dr Baugh said Jamaica had lost ground in that area over the years.
"It is now far more competitive. Many other countries have got into it and are competing and taking part and there is no doubt that we need to get more deeply involved in higher technologies in ICT, and this partnership with India is going to give us that opportunity to elevate our skills, to train more people," he said.
"We are looking forward to greater friendships with India, to more economic co-operations, but certainly we appreciate that in the field of ICT and in knowledge-based industries, that everybody agrees is the new vehicle of development for the developing world, we want to make certain that we are on board with this, that we do not lose ground," Dr Baugh added.
High Commissioner Grover, in his response, said India is more than willing to share its expertise and experiences.
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