Planning and Development Minister Pennelope Beckles thanked Huawei for the donation of an IdeaHub smart office productivity tool to the Ministry during a courtesy call with Huawei Country Manager Mr. Evan Zhouyu at the Ministry today.
Mr. Zhouyu acknowledged government’s heavy focus on digital transformation and expressed hope that the Huawei and Ministry teams could work together in the future to explore opportunities for economic growth through digital transformation. He shared ways that their tools could be utilized in education and in building Smart Cities, and added that Huawei has already partnered with many countries to help achieve their digital transformation objectives.
This donation is part of a larger donation by Huawei to the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago through the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and supports the government’s thrust towards building a digital national community, inclusive of the public service.
Minister Beckles noted that ‘Building a Digital Nation’ is a key objective of Trinidad and Tobago’s national Road to Recovery strategy which recognizes that digital transformation interventions such as building a digital government are critical to facilitate the enabling business environment necessary to improve our ease of doing business and support growth across all sectors.
One of the key projects in the Ministry of Planning and Development’s portfolio is the Town and Country Planning Division’s Transformation Project. The Automation arm of this project will synchronize and connect over 25 state agencies involved in the Construction Permitting Process of Trinidad and Tobago and streamline the process of applying for simple or complex building approval.
-The DevelopTT platform launched in March 2020 and Stamp Duty and Status of Land Correspondence e-Services are now available across all planning regions in Trinidad and Tobago.
-Planning permission e-Services are now available in the majority of regions in Trinidad and full coverage will be achieved within the coming months. Work is currently underway to introduce this e-Service in Tobago.