The following is the address by former Prime Minister PJ Patterson during the launch of the AI project at the University of the West Indies on Wednesday, June 11.
Colleagues and friends, pardon me if I begin on a note of nostalgia. It is 71 years ago that I entered these hallowed precincts. At that time, only three of those whose portraits now appear on the wall would have been there. Principal Taylor, before I came, the then-current principal, Dr Graves, and, of course, the Chancellor, Princess Alice. I feel that the wheel has come more than full circle this morning. Thank you all for being present to share this historic moment with us.
On April 12th, when we unveiled the mural of the Pan-Africanists, the Institute announced that we would formally launch in early June, the pilot study for an AI Hub, to advance education, research, finance, trade and industrial development for Africa and the Caribbean.
We are pleased to do so today as we seek to build an edifice of technological innovation on which we deploy our assets within the global economy to leverage our own human capital and resource base under our sovereign control to promote our shared prosperity.
As you have heard from President Oramah, we have obtained some seed funding from the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIM Bank) to develop a working design to integrate African and Caribbean countries into new, mutually beneficial logistics and enhanced Intelligence partnerships, aimed at harnessing synergies and fostering synthesis in economic and business collaboration.
Read the full address “Africa-Caribbean Hub for Generative Intelligence Development” here.
