Faced with rapid technological change, the Government plans to establish a 'techno-intelligence' unit to inform the productive sector on developments worldwide, says Karl Samuda, Minister of Commerce.

Samuda said that the unit would help the country be competitive globally. Only through the application of science and technology will Jamaica be able to successfully exploit production in niche markets to which it is best suited, he told his audience at the opening ceremony for the Scientific Research Council's (SRC) annual conference,
held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston on Tuesday night.

"In this regard we are going to have to establish a sort of techno-intelligence unit and it is becoming apparent that we will need to do this either at the science and technology organisation in their facility or at the ministry itself where we have a desk that seeks out the information necessary to inform and to communicate and interact with the productive sector," he said.

The unit would join existing Government technology bodies including the SRC, Central Information Technology Office (CITO) and the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST).

However, the minister cautioned that levels of education were insufficient to allow the population to fully take advantage of science and technology, another challenge that faces the Government.

"What has happened to us is that we have allowed it to languish untrained. You can't build a nation, you can't introduce technology in a meaningful way with a workforce where 75 per cent receives no vocational training. That is something that has to be addressed if we are really going to tackle this question of science and technology in ernest," he said.

However, he said that he was heartened by the growth of the local information communication technology (ICT) industry, citing the development of distance learning, which is being introduced into the nation's schools under the e-learning project.

Government could also expand available incentives for persons involved in technology-related enterprises, he added.

"The incentives that we offer will continue and in fact may expand, where anyone engaged in technological development and innovation will receive tax benefits in general consumption tax on equipment used for these purposes."

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