The Inter-American Development Bank today announced the approval of a $17 million loan to Jamaica to promote the nation’s competitiveness through greater use of information and communications technology and to increase access to the Internet by low-income communities.
The program is the first by the Bank to develop ICT with an integrated approach, and it was designed with the continuous participation of the private sector, civil society organizations and several government agencies.
The resources will support the greater use of the Internet to enhance the transparency and efficiency of government services by increasing the amount of relevant content available online. This component of the program - support for e-government - will include investments that will enable businesses and citizens to pay taxes online as well as obtain export and import permits.
A feasibility study will be conducted for a system to use the Internet for government procurement - e-procurement.
To improve access to the Internet by low-income communities, an estimated 60 Community Access Points, with five computers at each site, will be established or improved upon.
Partial scholarships will cover two-thirds of the cost for training for up to 900 persons in ICT. The recipient or his or her employer will cover the other third.
The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Technology will be strengthened through technical assistance to enable it to continue to play a leading role in increasing Jamaica’s e-readiness. Legal and regulatory reforms will refine Jamaica’s long-standing policy of liberalizing the framework for the telecommunications sector, already a dynamic growth area of the economy.
The program reflects the IDB and Jamaica government strategy of promoting an environment for long-term private-sector-led growth.
Previous IDB-financed ICT programs for Jamaica have supported computer-assisted teaching and computer labs in schools. In 1999 the Bank approved a $10 million loan to the country to reduce the risk of social and economic disruptions that could have resulted from failure to comply with ICT systems changes required at the beginning of the 21st century (Y2K).
The United States and Japanese governments and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization provided significant support to the Bank in the preparation of this project.
The total cost of the program is $23 million. The IDB loan is for a 25-year term, with a 5_ -year grace period, at the variable interest rate, now 5.39 percent. Local counterpart funds total $6 million. Part of the interest will be defrayed by the Intermediate Finance Facility