Digital Transformation in Cuba: Young People Take the Lead

This is the perspective of Sergio José Díaz García, an enthusiastic and talented young man who is part of the Transfermóvil staff at ETECSA and is participating in the International Telecommunication Union's World Youth Summit as a representative of the Americas region. We took advantage of one of the breaks to hear his thoughts on the event and the role of young people in Cuba's digital transformation.

What is the significance of this summit in the pursuit of digital empowerment for youth?

"This summit has as its top and most strategic goal to give a voice to young people, regardless of their geographic location, economic situation, or ICT skills. It aims to create a space where we can explain, present, and share how we think, where we want to go, what we are developing, and how we can achieve it. At the same time, this type of platform allows us to foster collaboration, synergy, and exchange. From these ideas, we can create and debate how to ensure greater accessibility to ICTs and how to develop skills so that all children, the future generations, can participate and be part of this global digital transformation process. Today, the world is undergoing a reality: it is migrating and transforming everything toward new technologies. Therefore, ensuring accessibility and the full development of the use of these technologies for future generations is also part of how we must view and develop it —we who are young today and those who will come tomorrow."

Could you tell us about some of the projects and proposals being presented here?

"The main proposals during this first day have focused on accessibility, on how to ensure that the largest number of people can have access to these technologies. Technological solutions that exist today and are geared toward inclusion were also presented. Cuba, for example, has brought several projects related to online services that allow for self-management by individuals from any terminal. It is presenting e-commerce platform projects that have years of experience and have significantly contributed to digital transformation. There are also projects on the use of the radio spectrum, aiming for more efficient use to reach more people. Many projects focused on education and skill development have been showcased, which is also part of the summit's objectives."

As a young individual directly involved in digital transformation processes, how do you assess the leadership of young people in Cuba in this regard?

"I believe the leadership of young people is vital and fundamental if we want to achieve digital transformation in our processes. As we discussed during the summit's opening, we are the generation that challenges what is already established, and one way to do this is by analyzing what we have and how we can take it to a higher level using information technologies.

"We are talking about the fact that Cuba, over its 66 years of revolutionary process, has ensured education in all these fields, and today it is bearing fruit. Today, the leadership of digital transformation is largely being driven by young people. If we analyze several of the key projects currently in Cuba, we see that their protagonists are young people, and this is thanks to a process that has been ongoing for decades, improving education, creating spaces, and ensuring access to higher education. This is a success of the Cuban university system.

"Having projects like Transfermóvil, like ETECSA's virtual store, where we see young researchers tackling commercial topics as well, all focused on digital transformation—on how we can digitize traditional processes to make life easier for people—is crucial. I believe it is essential. Young people today are the protagonists, and we will continue to be so."

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff