By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
The Caribbean
Telecommunications Union (CTU) has called for stronger regional cooperation on
digital data and measurement to help Caribbean countries make more informed
decisions on connectivity, investment and digital transformation.
CTU Secretary-General Rodney
Taylor made the call during the 21st World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators
Symposium (WTIS-26), held from September 7 to 8, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland.
The symposium, hosted by the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the theme “Guiding Digital
Policy Through Statistics,” brought together policymakers, statisticians and
industry experts to examine how data and measurement can support more effective
digital policymaking and transformation.
Taylor participated in the
opening panel on “Data-Driven Digital Transformation in Practice,” where he
presented the perspective of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
He highlighted progress made
across the Caribbean in measuring ICT and digital development but stressed the
continuing need for comparable data to help countries identify gaps, benchmark
progress and make informed decisions on how limited resources should be
allocated.
According to the CTU,
stronger regional cooperation on data collection and the measurement of
universal and meaningful connectivity could help harmonise approaches, build
national capacity and provide evidence for policymaking, investment planning
and coordinated regional action.
The Union said the priority
should not simply be to collect more data but to improve the quality,
comparability and timeliness of information available to governments and other
stakeholders.
