1. Regenie Fräser Secretary General January 27, 2009 2008 HIGHLIGHTS 25 th Annual General Meeting

2. 2 OUTLINE Our Mission & Vision Membership & Growth Membership Services Financial Highlights CANTO 2009 Strategic Objectives Operational Improvements Connecting the Caribbean Initiative (CTC) Key Successes

3. 3 Our Mission To facilitate the provision of innovative information and communication for the region’s economic and cultural development, as well as for the benefit of our members – through the sharing of knowledge and expertise and through coordination of strategic standpoints and policymaking. Our Vision To become the leading authority on information and communication in the Caribbean

4. 4 Membership Active membership now stands at forth three (43). Our active members are ICT companies operating in the Caribbean. Our active members are located in 26 Caribbean countries. Anguilla Antigua Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda Bonaire Cayman Islands Cuba Curacao Dominica Grenada Guadeloupe Guyana Haiti Jamaica St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia St. Maarten St. Vincent & the Grenadines Suriname Tortola Trinidad & Tobago Turks & Caicos

5. 5 Membership There are 70 affiliate members Our affiliate members are from a wide cross section of endeavours ( E.g. Regulatory Agencies, Equipment Suppliers, ICT Service Providers and other service providers) Theses members are from 30 countries & 4 continents (North America, South America, Europe & Asia)

6. 6 Membership Services In 2008 the Secretariat took up the challenge to improve membership services. Training was a key component of this effort. During the year courses were sourced and delivered in the following areas, Mini Telecoms MBA Human Resource Management Telecoms, Datacoms, Networking & VOIP One hundred & twenty three (123) industry professionals benefited from the training courses.

7. 7 Membership Services Training courses planned for 2009 are, Mini Telecoms MBA (two courses) Business Continuity Certified Training ICT Regulation Cyber Security workshop Next Generation Networks and Mobile Content Leadership Development Forum New Era Telecoms

8. 8 Membership Services The Annual Conference & Trade Exhibition continues to be the premier ICT trade show in the region

9. 9 Membership Services There were over 80 global suppliers There were around 680 participants Ten regional Government Ministers with responsibility for ICT attended Presentations and discussions were relevant and topical Provided unique opportunities for networking Under the theme “Caribbean Unity Through Connectivity” the Conference & Trade Exhibition took place in the Bahamas.

10. 10 Membership Services Publications aimed at providing a variety up-to-date, relevant and topical information were provided. CANTO Annual Directory CANCION(Quarterly) Monthly Newsletters BNA Weekly Newsletters BNA Annual Reviews Thematic papers

11. 11 Financial Highlights Revenue (US$)

12. 12 Financial Highlights Expenditure (US$)

13. 13 Financial Highlights Net Surplus/Deficit (US$)

14. 14 Financial Highlights Total Assets (US$)

15. 15 Financial Highlights Reserves & Current Liabilities (US$)

16. 16 CANTO 2009 STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 1.Increase CANTO’s visibility and authority 2.Expand and broaden Membership base 3.Expand the development of the Portal to facilitate cost effective service delivery and focus on high value services 4.Manage Working Committees 5.Realize relevant strategic alliances 6.Develop and Implement the Connect the Caribbean Initiative

17. 17 Operational Improvements Diversification of recruitment practices to facilitate employment of nationals from several Caribbean countries to the Secretariat in Trinidad & Tobago Streamlining of human resource policies and practices Capacity building for the Secretariat though involvement in preparations for EU funded project Secretariat staff exposed to personal development programme Drafted the 1 st Employee Handbook and Operation Manual

18. 18 Community Development 2nd Annual WTISD Essay Competition based on ITU’s theme: “Connecting People with Disabilities: ICT Opportunities for All”. 21 essays from six countries were received (an increase of 133% in the 2nd year of the Winner – Celeste Augustine from Trinidad & Tobago

19. 19 Media Relations In support of objective to forge relationships with media to increase awareness of CANTO and its activities, there were several events; Interviews with the Secretary General on Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG) show LIVE’ TEMPO Networks featured media highlights of CANTO 2008

20. 20 Special Projects Connecting the Caribbean

21. 21 Connecting the Caribbean Connecting the Caribbean is a CANTO sponsored initiative. Our goal is to work with other public and private sector stakeholders (inc. CTU, ITU, UWI, CARICOM Secretariat, CARICAD & CKLN) to mobilize the human, financial and technical resources to connect the unconnected in the region by 2015.

22. 22 Connecting the Caribbean Linkages with international development issues United Nations Millennium Development Goals Goal 8 – Develop a global partnership for development Target 8f deals with making ICT available to all World Summit on the Information Society WSIS & ITU Connect the World Connect the unconnected worldwide by 2015 Connecting the Caribbean Connect the people of the region by 2015 CTC is a direct response to the global development agenda to eradicate poverty as expressed in the Millennium Development Goals

23. 23 Main Pillars of CTC Like Connect the World, Connecting the Caribbean is built around the three pillars; Enabling & harmonised Legal & regulatory framework Infrastructure development Affordable services & relevant applications

24. 24 Relationships Developed Our goal is to work with other public and private sector stakeholders (inc. CTU, ITU, UWI, CARICOM Secretariat, CARICAD & CKLN) to mobilize the human, financial and technical resources to connect the unconnected in the region by 2015. AgencyProjectCANTO RoleActions CTU & ITU ICT Harmonisation (HIPCAR) Member of Steering Committee Participated in kick- off meeting in December 2008 CARICOM Secretariat ICT4 Development Member of Steering Committee Participated in May & October 2008 meetings CKLN C@ribNETStakeholderHeld discussions re collaboration CARICADegovernment StakeholderPreliminary talks re memorandum of understanding

25. 25 What Have We Done to Date? Developed a framework document which outlines the principles of CTC, key enablers for ICT development, and working approach. Built awareness of and support for the project through stakeholder meetings and other discussion fora, including a panel of regional government ministers with responsibility for ICT. Developed partnerships with other regional agencies. Developed a database of regional ICT projects Facilitated a computer for schools programme under the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project. (Pilot projects have been launched in Suriname and Bahamas through partnerships the main telecommunications providers in the respective countries and NORTEL.) Introduced the 1 st Annual Best CTC Project Award. Won in 2008 by the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and Telecommunications in Antigua and Barbuda for the excellence with the “MOBILE IT CLASSROOM” in Antigua and Barbuda.

26. 26 What Have We Done to Date? Identified three project areas on which we will focus our activities in 2009 and 2010: Research, document and disseminate information on ecommerce best practice guidelines Research, document and disseminate information on egovernment best practice guidelines A regional ICT Training Facilitation Programme Developed detailed project documents including action plans for these programmes. Applied for funding from the European Union.

27. 27 Plans for 2009 Lecture & Workshop on Stakeholder Involvement & Partnership Building ( January ) Obtain funding (Q2) Appoint Steering Committee (Q2) Strategy Meetings (Q3) Ecommerce and Egovernment research (Q4) Definition of best practices in ecommerce and egovernment (Q4)

28. 28 Plans for 2009 The full programme of activities is expected to last for 20 months On completion of the project CANTO’S portal will emerge as the premier point of reference for ICT information on the Caribbean Region We expect these activities will also be a springboard for the region’s participation in Connect the Americas, which is a ITU sponsored project.

29. 29 Key Successes The phenomenal growth & diversity in our membership Host the premier ICT conference & trade exhibition in the region Relevant and timely training programmes Strong relationship with regional governments Partnerships with other regional organizations

30. 30 #67 PICTON STREET NEWTOWN, PORT OF SPAIN TRINIDAD, W.I. Tel: (868) 622-3770/4781 Fax: (868) 622-3751 Web site: www.canto.org The End