National ICT Strategic Plan x Government of St Kitts and Nevis Establish a scheme for encouraging firms to invest in ICT and train their staff, e.g. through low rate loans to be administered by commercial banks with a consolidation or guarantee from the government. Such schemes should apply to existing companies as well as new investors. x Support the participation of enterprises of the tourism sector and tourism authorities in portals that can provide a variety of information and inquiry services as well as on-line reservations and auctions. x Support the creation and/or development of agri-business portals that can provide to the farmers and enterprises of the sector, with their active participation, when appropriate, directly or through their organisations, a variety of technical, commercial and administrative information and inquiry services as well as support co-operative commercial services. x Develop IT parks that can offer state of the art wired premises, call centres, industrial and warehousing space, training facilities, incubator facilities, business development support, accommodation, catering, and entertainment facilities that can attract and host external investors and host temporary events (such as staff training and leisure packages, professional meetings, etc.) x Encourage and support the introduction of electronic banking, including Internet banking, and electronic payment technologies for domestic, international and inter-bank transactions. Key Strategic Steps for Implementing the ICT Initiative As mentioned before, to ensure that the National ICT Strategic Plan comes to fruition, a longterm commitment must be made. A thorough re-engineering of existing processes and a cultural change must also take place. A number of key strategic steps are essential to the overall success of the plan and these are outlined below: Ministry of Finance, Sustainable Development, Information and Technology November, 2006 7