History

 The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has embarked on an unprecedented development agenda to transform the country into a developed nation by the year 2020.  The driving force behind Vision 2020 has always been and will remain this government’s enduring passion and desire to bring prosperity and a higher quality of life to every individual, family and community across the country.  

A major facet of Vision 2020 is a strategy to facilitate the transformation of Trinidad and Tobago into a knowledge based society through the effective use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).  ICT is a term given to the integrated use of informatics, information and communication tools and infrastructure to assist in the development of knowledge and the resulting acceleration in social and economic development.   On May 2, 2003, the Honourable Prime Minister Patrick Manning formally launched Trinidad and Tobago’s National ICT Strategy – fastforward which provides far-reaching strategies for the development of a connected country that will adapt, flourish and prosper in the new global information society.

The National ICT Company Limited (iGovTT), a state-owned enterprise, was incorporated in September 2009 with a mandate to continue the realization of the fastforward agenda. iGovTT’s evolution can be traced back to four smaller units previously subsumed under different Government ministries; Telecommunications Policy Unit, the ICT Policy, Planning and Research Unit, the e-Commerce Secretariat and the e-Government Unit.

The Telecommunications Policy Unit was first established by the Office of the Prime Minister in 1989 and was thereafter transferred to the Ministry of Information, Communications, Training and Distance Learning in 1998.  The ICT Policy, Planning and Research Unit was also created at the Office of the Prime Minister. The e-Government Unit was established under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology by then Minister Ralph Maraj in 2000. In the same year the e-Commerce Secretariat was set up at the Ministry of Trade. 

The 2002 merging of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and the Ministry of Human Development resulted in what citizens today recognise as the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education. In October of 2002, the Telecommunications Unit was transferred to the Ministry of Public Administration and Information. The year 2002 also marked the formation of the ICT Planning Secretariat overseen by the Ministry of Public Administration and Information. One year later, the Telecommunications Policy Unit, ICT Policy, Planning and Research Unit, e-Commerce Secretariat and e-Government Unit were merged together coinciding with the finalization of the fastforward strategy plan.

In 2004 Cabinet approved the creation of the Information Communication Technology Division which was formally launched in September of that year. Later in 2008, the ICT Division merged with the National Information Systems Centre (NISC) to form the National ICT Centre (NICTC) which then went on to become iGovTT.