Zamboanga City digital hub recognized in int’l IT summit

DICT’s Mindanao Cluster digital hub located in Zamboanga City. Photo from WSIS 2020 website

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) digital hub in Zamboanga City has been recognized at the recently concluded World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2020.

DICT’s Mindanao Cluster digital hub in Zamboanga City, described as a “learning, innovation, and co-working space facility,” was named as one of the “champion projects” under the summit’s E-employment category. 

The hub, open to the public 24/7, provides access to information and communication technology (ICT) resources and opportunities.

Visitors can visit the hub for research, accessing government services and applying for a job. 

It also provides training on ICT skills and serves as a venue for online job fairs and working space for online freelancers. 

“Through our champion project, we were able to equip thousands with ICT skills to land online jobs wherever they are, even at home. Our efforts to empower the countryside with digital skills are reaping huge benefits especially now that it is more advantageous to work from home,” the hub’s director, Maria Teresa Camba said in a statement on Thursday. 

According to DICT, the digital hub served over 2,500 users and trained over 700 persons with digital skills in 2019. 

“We promise to live up to the expectations of the global community to develop and implement smarter solutions as we hone the benefits of the digital economy for our citizens,” DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan said. 

The WSIS 2020 was held from June 22 to September 10, 2020.

The summit, which was held entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tackled the trends, evolution and challenges of digital topics across countries.

gsg