Digicel’s simple plan, still paying dividends

A simple plan, pegged to more than $200 million worth of investment in infrastructure, human resources, goods and services over the past 20 years, is the success formula behind telecommunications giant Digicel.

Board chairman of Digicel Jamaica, Harry Smith, on Sunday explained that it was payback from the early strategic investments which has propelled the company and Jamaica to the enviable positions they both now enjoy.

“Our plan was simple. It was to democratise access to modern communications technology and provide a better way for customers and businesses to communicate,” said Smith at Digicel’s 20th anniversary service at Fellowship Tabernacle in Pembroke Hall, St Andrew.

“With enthusiasm, a dream and an amazing team of customer-focused employers who were our biggest assets, we quickly made headway into the most remote parts of Jamaica to connect more Jamaicans with each other. Along the way, we forged strong and lasting relationships with people everywhere we went. Our progressively stronger connections led to over $200 million worth of technology investments since 2001, making Jamaica one of the region’s most connected society,” Smith said.

CONTRIBUTORS TO POSITIVE GROWTH

“Since then, we have watched our children grow up to become more knowledgeable. We have enabled members of the church to keep the faith. We have enabled businesses to become more agile and productive. We have unleashed the entrepreneurial spirit within many Jamaicans, especially those in formerly underserved communities. We have become major contributors to positive GDP growth and job growth,” he noted.

Digicel has also laid down the framework for Jamaica to become the region’s first truly digitally connected society, according to the board chairman.

However, these accomplishments have not been without obstacles, according to CEO of the Digicel Foundation, Charmaine Daniels, who told the audience, “Our will to overcome, strengthened by God’s unyielding mercy, will see us through”.

“After 20 years, Digicel and Jamaica have formed an inseparable bond. This is the birthplace of the brand. This is our home. That’s why we are investing in the most modern communications infrastructure to provide high-quality services that improve the lives of Jamaicans. We’re making real investments in real communities to ensure that, as Digicel grows, so too does Jamaica and the people we serve.”

To this end, the foundation has placed strong emphasis on grassroots engagement within its social investment strategy, with 1,325 projects implemented across the island, through which it has been able to directly impact the lives of more than 695,000 Jamaicans.