As the Caribbean Community (Caricom) gathers to chart a digital path for the coming decade, Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell has made an urgent push for deeper regional collaboration, warning that collective action is the only way for Caribbean nations to hold their ground in an increasingly competitive global digital landscape.
Mitchell, who serves as Caricom Quasi Cabinet’s Lead Head of Government for Science and Technology, delivered the call during the opening plenary of a regional ministerial meeting focused on information and communication technology (ICT). Hosted under the overarching theme “Accelerating Digital Development to 2030”, the gathering brought together senior ICT officials from across Caricom’s 15 member states to align on shared digital priorities.
In his opening address, Mitchell emphasized that digital innovation is no longer a secondary policy concern, but a foundational pillar of modern economic resilience, national security, and long-term sustainable development across the region. He pointed to ongoing regional efforts already underway to advance shared digital goals, including progress on the Caricom Single ICT Space initiative, the development of the 2025–2030 Strategic Framework for Digital Resilience, and growing cross-border collaboration on cybersecurity threats that do not respect national boundaries.
“If Caricom is to remain competitive and relevant, we need to act collectively and strategically to ensure that our region is not left at the margins of the global digital economy,” Mitchell told assembled delegates.
The Grenadian leader stressed that small island developing states, which make up the vast majority of Caricom’s membership, cannot navigate the complex shifting tides of the digital age on their own. Key emerging challenges – from the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) to shifting rules for digital trade, emerging frameworks for data governance, and global debates over internet governance – require coordinated regional responses that no single small state can mount independently.
Crucially, Mitchell argued that the region has completed enough preliminary policy planning, and now must shift its focus to tangible action. “We must move decisively from policy discussions to measurable implementation and outcomes to build a Caricom digital economy,” he said.
On the topic of artificial intelligence, one of the fastest growing areas of global technological change, Mitchell offered a balanced perspective. He acknowledged AI’s transformative potential to overhaul public service delivery, boost cross-sector productivity, and spawn entirely new homegrown industries across the Caribbean. At the same time, he cautioned that widespread AI adoption must be rooted in core principles of inclusive access, public trust, and strong ethical governance to avoid exacerbating existing inequalities.
To lay the groundwork for a robust regional digital economy, Mitchell outlined four key areas requiring increased investment: expanded and upgraded digital infrastructure, enhanced cross-border cybersecurity defenses, expanded digital skills training for workforces, and flexible regulatory frameworks that can keep pace with rapid technological change.
He also placed particular emphasis on youth preparedness, noting that the region’s long-term global competitiveness will hinge on its ability to build digital capacity among young people, who represent the Caribbean’s future workforce and entrepreneurial base.
By the close of the meeting, delegates reviewed and formally approved new frameworks covering cross-border digital cooperation, responsible AI governance, enhanced cybersecurity collaboration, and expanded regional digital skills development initiatives, moving the region one step closer to Mitchell’s vision of coordinated, implementable digital progress.