Above: President Ricardo Martinelli launching the programme (Photo: OP)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Continuing a trend that has made its way across the Caribbean, from Antigua to Guyana, the government of Panama has delivered the first computers to families as part of its Digital Inclusion programme.

The first installment of the project on Tuesday in Curundu saw 240 families receive a total of 1,008 computers with internet access.

“Today we deliver not only a computer with internet,” said Panama President Ricardo Martinelli. “We begin a training programme to ensure the maximum use of this tool.”

The training project will go hand-in-hand with the computer distribution, aiming to “reduce the digital divide,” according to Martinelli.

According to the President, Panama has more than 1,000 free internet access points across the country, along with 1,500 schools that also have access.

The country’s ultimate goal, he said, is that all students in pre-middle and middle school will have computers for their studies.

The governments of Antigua and Guyana have been distributing netbooks and laptops to residents across those countries, financed by the Chinese government.