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Fiji’s interim Indigenous Affairs minister Ratu Epeli Nailatikau believes there is an urgent need for educational institutes in Fiji to become more technologically advanced.
Ratu Nailatikau made the comment at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Japan-Pacific Information and Communication Technology Center at the University of the South Pacific today.
“The groundbreaking ceremony signifies to the government and the people of Fiji and the other 11 Pacific Island countries of the university, the commitment of the Japanese government to the socio-economic development through the ICT capacity building in the Pacific,” he said.
He said at the 2002 Pacific Islands Summit meeting with Japan it had been recognized that USP’s “Information Technology project for the Pacific” would mitigate the digital divide among the Pacific Island countries and would continue to play a large part in development in the South Pacific region.
“Once the centre is completed, it will spearhead research development and education in the ICT field, thereby promoting socio-economic development through the growth of ICT potential,” he said.
Ratu Nailatikau stressed that the provision of assistance in the ICT fields at USP through its digital and flexible learning program to remote corners of the Pacific was a significant contribution in overcoming the digital divide in the region.
