Top Caribbean leaders to meet in Miami for Connected Caribbean Summit 2024

MIAMI, Florida:

TOP LEADERS from across the Caribbean in government, business, technology, civil society, and the justice and law enforcement sectors, will meet in Miami from December 9-12 at the keenly anticipated Connected Caribbean Summit 2024. Participants in this unique action-oriented gathering will be hammering out plans to address pressing issues impacting the livelihoods and future of the over 44 million people of the Caribbean region.

At this third edition of the Connected Caribbean Summit at the Hilton Blue Lagoon hotel, the delegates will deliberate around the theme, ‘Collaborating for Caribbean Solutions’. Officials will tackle specific issues and challenges being faced in their respective sectors, formulating action plans to pursue and share with the wider regional community in the coming year.

“Participants eagerly look forward to the Connected Caribbean Summit experience,” said Bevil Wooding, director of Caribbean affairs for ARIN, the American Registry for Internet Numbers, one of the summit conveners. “The summit has established an action-oriented ethos and attendees share a commitment for pursuing practical solutions when they return to their organisations, countries and communities,” added Wooding.

The summit’s agenda features a mix of plenary presentations, panel discussions, forums and working groups, covering important topics such as public policy, justice and law enforcement, private sector innovation, development resilience, and internet policy.

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A special curtain-raiser learning feature kicking off day one of the summit will be the Apex Academy’s masterclasses on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity essentials for leaders, and digital infrastructure for business operations and court administration across the region.

For fellow summit conveners, Rodney Taylor, secretary general of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and Petipha Lewis, chair of CARICHAM, the regional network of Caribbean business chambers, collaboration is key for a connected Caribbean:

“CARICHAM strongly advocates that businesses and governments must work hand-in-hand to create the environment needed to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional economic resilience. This summit is an invaluable forum for CARICHAM members to strengthen those partnerships,” remarked Lewis.

“The Caribbean Telecommunications Union has long championed collaborative approaches to digital transformation in the region. True and lasting change cannot be achieved in silos,” added the CTU secretary general. “We need to share resources, align policies, and work together across national borders if we are to realise the full potential of a connected Caribbean,” he continued.

Prime Minister of Grenada and the chair of CARICOM, Dickon Mitchell, will deliver the opening address to the summit on the thought-provoking topic, ‘Accelerated Development – Balancing Political, Policy and Societal Priorities’, which coincides with the summit’s goal to be a pivotal gathering uniting technology, justice, law enforcement, business, and public sectors to explore and devise strategies for expediting transformative action for Caribbean development.

Joining Mitchell are other esteemed speakers, including Dr Didacus Jules, director general of the OECS Commission; Dr Kevin Blake, Jamaica Commissioner of Police; John Curran, CEO/president, ARIN; Bernadette Lewis, secretary general of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization; Nigel Edwards, CEO of the Unit Trust Corporation; and Dr Curtis Charles, director of academic affairs, University of the West Indies, Five Islands Campus.