CAF and the EU will promote digitization in Trinidad and Tobago with the first Global Gateway project in the country

With the aim of promoting digitization in Trinidad and Tobago, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean- and the European Union will work together to support the initial phases of the electronic identity (e-ID) program, the public data interoperability platform, and the government data center. These initiatives will modernize communications, digital infrastructure, and related services to promote greater resilience, scalability, interoperability, energy efficiency, and security.

This collaboration between CAF and the European Union stands out as the first operation directly approved to CAF by the European Commission's Investment Facility for Latin America and the Caribbean (LACIF), becoming the inaugural project of the Global Gateway in which CAF will participate in Trinidad and Tobago.

"The approval of this project within the Global Gateway is great news for Latin America and the Caribbean, as it reflects the EU's renewed commitment to the sustainable development of the region across the three strategic axes set by the EU for Latin America and the Caribbean, in this particular case, digital transition. This year, we achieved a historic milestone with the first meeting of EU and CELAC Economy and Finance Ministers in September in Santiago de Compostela, and now we fulfill by concretizing an alliance that will benefit both blocks and is key to global sustainability," said Sergio Díaz-Granados, Executive President of CAF.

CAF and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago are already collaborating on an investment program for the development of the country's Government Data Center. The institution recently approved technical assistance of USD 225,000 to conceptualize the expansion of the government's modular Data Center and diagnose the associated ICT infrastructure needed for the distribution of cloud solutions (own infrastructure and infrastructure as a service), aimed at structuring an investment loan to complete the long-term expansion of the Data Center. With the support of the European Union, the feasibility and detailed engineering of the Data Center will be carried out, contributing to the initial phases of the implementation of the public data interoperability platform and the electronic identification program (e-ID).

In the meeting of EU and CELAC Economy and Finance Ministers, organized by Spain and CAF in September 2023, a renewed EU investment agenda in the region was promoted, previously announced in July at the EU-CELAC Heads of State Summit. With the participation of 60 Finance Ministers from both sides of the Atlantic, it was a crucial forum to design strategies to overcome gaps in the triple green, digital, and social transition.