Three-Day Forum Tackles Digital Challenges Facing Small Island States

A forum aimed at identifying solutions to critical gaps in digital infrastructure across the Caribbean, including Montserrat, that have affected access, literacy, and capacity in essential sectors such as health, education, and social protection has been scheduled for three days this week at the Regional Headquarters of The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Mona, Jamaica.

The Caribbean Forum on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), as it is called, is set to open on Tuesday and will see key regional and international stakeholders discussing how equitable digital and data ecosystems can drive inclusive economic growth and sustainable development.

Under the theme ‘DPI: Challenges and Opportunities for Small Island Developing States’, participants will examine successful DPI models such as India Stack and Brazil’s Pix, while assessing their applicability to Montserrat and the other small island developing states (SIDS) with resource constraints.

Key discussion areas will include:

• Strategies and mechanisms for regional cooperation in advancing the Caribbean’s digital agenda;

• The role of digital public goods in accelerating digital transformation;

• Policy pathways for developing scalable and sustainable DPI solutions; and

• Public-private partnerships to support digital innovation in the region.

According to the organizers, the forum will feature 15 international experts, alongside regional and local speakers, including representatives from Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, The UWI, global non-profit fund Co-Develop, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, eGOV Jamaica Ltd, Inter-American Development Bank, and Caribbean Telecommunications Union.

Speakers include Dr Maurice McNaughton, director, Centre for Innovation Mona School of Business and Management; Matthew McNaughton, director for inclusion, safeguards and civil society engagement, Co-Develop; Daniel Abadie, head of partnerships, Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure; Mervyn Eyre, president and CEO, Fujitsu Caribbean; Kim Mallalieu, senior lecturer, The UWI; Jon Lloyd, director of advocacy digital public goods alliance; and Lauren Kahn, senior director, global impact, Public Digital.