Leonardo Blair, Enterprise Reporter
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad:
LAPTOPS COSTING US$100 each are soon be made available to every child, particularly those in developing countries in a bid to slow the widening gap in technological advancement between the developed and developing worlds.
Permanent Secretary in Trinidad and Tobago's Ministry of Public Administration and Information, Gillian Macintyre, made the revelation at a joint meeting of the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) on Tuesday night. The meeting, which examined a number of critical issues to be addressed by the Commonwealth Action Programme for the Digital Divide (CAPDD), highlighted efforts by leading nations in the field to bridge the gap.
AUDACIOUS AND ALTRUISTIC EFFORT
"One of these has been described as an audacious and altruistic effort to bring a laptop costing US$100 to every child especially in the developing world," said Macintyre.
The effort is the brainchild of the founder of the MIT Media Lab.
"The intention is to reveal the first prototype next month
and, most interestingly, five countries, China, Brazil, Egypt, Thailand and South Africa, have already said they will buy over one million units each," she explained.
Macintyre further pointed out that production is expected to start in late 2006. "We need a continuation of this trend. This technology is proving to be the most transformational we have seen since the industrial revolution; and if properly deployed, it could promote the development of a more just and humane global civilisation."
DIGITAL DIVIDE
The digital divide has been described as the considerable variations in infrastructure, pricing, availability, accessibility and quality of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) between rich and poor countries, men and women and the young and old.
The CAPDD has recognised the transformational impact of ICTs which, among other things, creates opportunities for better governance; fosters economic and social development; supports entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation.
Overcoming this challenge within the Commonwealth is among the United Nations' development goals.
