Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, as Chair of Commonwealth Connects yesterday witnessed the signing ceremony of a $100,000 Commonwealth Connects initiative to fund the Computers for Communities project in Trinidad and Tobago.

The country’s High Commissioner to the UK, Glenda Morean-Phillip, signed the funding agreement with Mr Don McKinnon at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.

“Spreading a ‘common ICT-wealth’ across the 53-member countries of the Commonwealth will help unleash human potential,” said Secretary-General McKinnon. He added that the wealth of knowledge and opportunities that come with access to information and communication technology would give a great lift to communities.

“Having information at one’s fingertips can make all the difference between success and failure,” said Mr McKinnon. “Being able to use the knowledge available on the internet in an innovative way will bring new opportunities to those who can capitalise on the marvels of the information superhighway.”

The Commonwealth Connects funding is in support of national efforts to boost computer usage and skills in the country. To date, only 10 per cent of the one million-strong population of Trinidad and Tobago have access to the internet.

The government’s aim is to provide free internet access to more users through the Computers for Communities project, which has an estimated cost of $500,000 that will be borne by the state.

Computers for Communities, which involves the recycling of used computers for schools and communities in Trinidad and Tobago, will be undertaken in cooperation with the government. The latter will provide supplementary funding and manage the project through the Ministry of Public Administration and Information.

It will work with Caribbean governments and the private sector to obtain used computers for refurbishment in Trinidad and Tobago.

This recycling exercise, which encourages good corporate citizenship, also addresses environmental concerns over the disposal of computer equipment by reducing the volume of discards.

Commonwealth Connects was established in August 2006, as part of the response to a mandate given to the Commonwealth Secretariat by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in 2005.

This initiative aims to bridge the digital divide between those with access to ICT and those without, with the goal of using technology as a development tool.

Commonwealth Connects also funds a project in Sri Lanka to boost access to information on post-tsunami reconstruction for communities.