Published on March 15 2016 by Granma.
On the morning of Monday, March 14, the 16th International Computer Sciences Convention & Fair 2016 opened its doors in Havana’s Pabexpo exposition center where - through March 18 - exhibitors will present products and projects across 73 stands; 34 affiliated with Cuban entities and 39 foreign companies.
Grisel Reyes León, executive secretary of the fair, which this year has the central theme of “Connecting Societies”, noted that the event is a demonstration of Cuba’s desire to occupy an important role within the field of communications, and is undoubtedly a space for interaction and professional exchanges, where Cuban and foreign entities can present their newest products.
Participating in the event – featuring 300 exhibitors – was Malcom Johnson, deputy secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union; Maimir Mesa Ramos, minister of Communications of Cuba; Rashid R. Ismailov and Dmitry M. Alkhazov, deputy ministers of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation; as well as other foreign and national sector representatives.
Special guests included decorated Heroes of the Republic of Cuba, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, René González, and Fernando González.
In honour of the 16th Computer Sciences Convention, a commemorative stamp portraying the cell phone in Cuba and a watermark depicting the development of computer sciences across all sectors, were issued.
Parallel to the fair, which includes business forums and meetings, various keynote addresses will also be taking place throughout the week in the Havana Convention Center. The first of these was given yesterday, Monday 14, by Cuban Deputy Minister of Communications Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella, during which he highlighted that the island is currently defining the parameters regarding its own use of information and communications technology, especially across priority sectors such as health, education, culture and science.
During the official inauguration ceremony, the Minister of Communications noted that corresponding to the event maxim, the encounter is the ideal space to promote exchanges of ideas and knowledge, providing sector associates with the necessary tools to face current and future challenges, especially for Cuba, a small country with minimal financial resources, but which is making concerted efforts to up-date its computer sciences policy.