By the Caribbean Journal staff

Antigua is looking to make 2012 the “year of electronic development,” according to Dr Edomond Mansoor, Minister of State with responsibility for the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, Science and Technology.

The government is committed to making the country more competitive in the area of information and communication technology, he said.

Part of the plan for 2010 includes a new project, Technology for Small and Micro-Enterprises, which will target 125 businesses in the twin-island state.

The government is rolling out an “ICT Cadet Programme, which will allow 75 people to be enrolled for one year in an ICT training programme geared towards entrepreneurship.

Antigua is also moving forward on its “E-Government” project, which looks to use new technologies to modernize portions of the government.

For that initiative, the country has received a grant from the World Bank via the E-Grip project, which covers countries across the OECS.

The government will deploy 4G broadband internet in 150 agencies.