With the presence of the member of the Political Bureau and Prime Minister of the Republic Manuel Marrero Cruz, the annual work meeting of the Ministry of Communications was held on February 18, during which the work projections for 2022 were presented.

According to the organization for the analysis of the fulfillment of the goals and objectives of the Economic and Social Development Plan of the country until 2030, the Minister of Communications, Mayra Arevich Marín, explained that the Ministry has presence in three of the six defined Macroprograms, with the participation of the projects: Infrastructure of public telecommunications services; digital television; e-commerce; digital government; the industry of applications and computer services and Cybersecurity as a transversal element to all, in correspondence with their scopes.

In the debate, the interventions of executives of the organization and of the Communications system on the work projections for this year 2022 stand out:

Ariadne Plasencia Castro, president of the Informatics and Communications Group (Geic): "We have new goals: to develop solutions and new ways to provide services to the population and export".

Mario Hernández Pastrana, general director of Informatics of the Mincom: "There are many potentialities we have to digitize in terms of digital government. Projecting the potential of the companies associated to the process will transform the life of the citizen in a better quality of life and management.

Ailyn Febles Estrada, president of the Union of Computer Scientists of Cuba: "One of the projections is to continue training our professionals. This year we have three training blocks within the approved program to strengthen the quality of future local development projects.

Rafael Luis Torralba Ezpeleta, director of the Havana Science and Technology Park (PCT): "Diversifying funding sources is one of the biggest challenges ahead of us".
Tania Velázquez Rodríguez, president of Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba (Etecsa): Among the company's priorities is to continue the investment process, particularly for wireless Internet access in homes, which will connect some 56,000 homes by 2022.

For his part, the member of the Political Bureau and Prime Minister of the Republic, Manuel Marrero Cruz, acknowledged the importance of the exchange that enriches the debate. He commented on the priorities established for 2022.

In his speech he pointed out: "We have a guarantee of confidence in the future, but we cannot forget the reality that surrounds us: the blockade, the world economic situation, Covid 19".

The Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, expressed that the Ministry of Communications had a broad participation in the pillars of government management: science and innovation; social communication and informatization.

Among other issues addressed by the Prime Minister are those related to the importance of working on communication in conjunction with the culture of digital transformation, as well as expanding communication actions at territorial level; strengthening the socialist state enterprise; increasing support, monitoring and promotion of MSMEs, which benefit the nation and the welfare of the population.

Marrero Cruz also referred to the increase of connectivity in the zones of silence; the consolidation of the Scientific and Technological Parks of Havana and Matanzas; the strengthening of payment platforms and their use in the payment of goods and services; and the expansion of mobile telephony service models.

Regarding the Communications system, the Prime Minister said that it is key to participation in social networks and that the work of the agency is essential for the development of the nation.

Projections of the work of the Ministry of Communications for 2022:
Main goals:
To continue developing the Computerization process and move towards Digital Transformation, which should be materialized in:

• A greater usage of ICTs in all social processes.
• The growth of the digital services offered to the population, with greater access and quality.
• The fostering of e-commerce because of its potential to enhance the economy.
• The generalization of the use of science and innovation as essential components of the sector's activity.
• The progress in the raise of awareness about the safe and responsible use of ICTs by institutions and citizens, as well as to confront their illegal, harmful, subversive and destabilizing use, and to promote the most authentic values and principles of the Cuban Revolution.

Concerning the Digital Transformation Program:
o The Policy for Digital Transformation in the country will be developed, which will lead to the formation of the Cuban digital agenda and the proposed implementation of a Digital Transformation Program, as part of the work system for the implementation of the country's National Development Plan 2030.