SPC conducts training on Web 2.0 tools and social media for information sharing

A training workshop being held in Suva, Fiji for civil servants, is exploring the use of social media and other ‘Web 2.0’ technologies to improve service delivery. The overall objective of this workshop is to discuss the opportunities offered by the social media and also the challenges of using these applications online. More broadly, it will look at the role of the internet and how social media can facilitate information sharing and collaboration.

The director of SPCs Land Resources Division, Inoke Ratukalou, believes that the development of relevant information and communication technology (ICT) policies and the use of ICT are integral to SPC’s obligations to its member countries.

‘SPC wants to continue to ensure that the contributions of ICT, such as the mobile telephone and the many applications of the internet, are fully appreciated and used by the people of Fiji to improve their livelihoods.

‘Unfortunately, slow bandwidth in many Pacific Island countries and territories is a hindrance to fully realising the benefits and capabilities of the different Web 2.0 tools. SPC is currently using Web 2.0 applications in its ICT sector and thereby creating a new environment conducive to economic and social development,’ said Ratukalou.

‘Technology, particularly that relating to the internet and computers, is transforming our lives at unbelievable speed; there are tools now available on the internet that can make conversations, dialogue and interactions possible,’ he added.

He elaborated: ‘Web 2.0 is changing the way we do things and the way we perceive things and it empowers people to create awareness about the impacts of global issues such as climate change, environmental degradation, sea level rise and food security through the use of digital media, social networking tools and e-learning technologies. It also gives a voice to people, especially our youth.’

This workshop has been made possible by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), an institution that was established within the framework of the Lome Convention, a co-operation agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (known collectively as the ACP states) and the European Union.

Ratukalou told the participants that ‘CTA recognises the need to improve the management of agricultural information in ACP countries. CTA is, therefore, at the forefront of Web 2.0 training and applications and will be linking up with its stakeholders in other SPC member countries to conduct similar training in 2012 and beyond.

SPC, in partnership with CTA, has been working on a number of ICT activities related to information sharing, such as the use of mobile telephones to share information about market prices and reporting incidents of pest and disease. The aim of this partnership is to better serve the ever-changing information needs of SPC’s Pacific stakeholders.

The workshop ends on Friday 9th December and it is expected that the discussions on the adoption and further dissemination of appropriate, low cost, simple and replicable internet-based technologies and applications will empower the participants to make a difference in their ministries. 

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