Above: Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and Sean Penn in California

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe is visiting Silicon Valley this week, joined by Haiti Goodwill Ambassador Sean Penn and others.

The trip, which began on Monday, focused on ways to use technology to benefit the Haitian people, and to work on ways to develop a “reliable technological system” for the country, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s office.

“Technology is an important tool for economic development and competitiveness,” Lamothe said. “Facilitating wide access to technology for youth, government officials and the private sector can make a big difference in efforts to achieve higher economic growth and in the fight against extreme poverty.”

During his trip to California, Lamothe’s office said he will meet with officials at Google, Facebook and Apple to discuss “the mechanisms to be used to facilitate access to technology” for a large number of Haitians.

He also said he would discuss the possibility of implementing the Apple Authorized Training Center for Education Programme for teachers in Haiti. That programme offers benefits to schools that use Apple applications in their curricula, including special training and certification programmes.

Lamothe’s visit includes a meeting with TOMS shoes, which recently announced the addition of a new factory in Haiti.

Lamothe spoke at the Salesforce conference in San Francisco as well.

Penn was named a goodwill ambassador for Haiti by Haiti President Michel Martelly last year.