Taiwan signs ICT pact with SVG

An agreement to strengthen co-operation in the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was signed between the Governments of the Republic of China on Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

The signing took place on Tuesday, November 9, 2010, at the Ministry of Telecommunications conference room.

Ambassador of Taiwan Weber Shih, giving brief remarks, said that the signing of the agreement will “set a milestone and hem out a new model of bilateral agreement.”

Shih said that since the two countries established ties in 1981, they have been making beneficiary agreements in several areas such as infrastructure development, education, human resources, and agriculture.

He added that ICT will enhance government’s efficiency, promote competitiveness and further advance sustainable development.

Minister of Telecommunication, Science, Technology and Industry Jerrol Thompson thanked Taiwan for the contributions they have made toward the advancement of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Highlighting their contribution to St. Vincent in the area of Agriculture, Thompson said that he was impressed with the way in which Taiwan had transformed itself from an agricultural based society into an ICT dominant society without abandoning agriculture.

Thompson added that there has been an increase in ICT initiatives in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the area of Education. He, however, stated that ICT can be embraced in the area of National Security to create Criminal Information Systems, where police records can be easily kept. “They basically have to write reports in a big thick book,” Thompson said.

The signing ceremony also featured a presentation by the visiting delegation of Taiwanese Government officials on ICT developments in Taiwan. (OS)