This was confirmed in Neiva by the Minister of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), Mauricio Lizcano, who, together with the regional president, developed a complete agenda for several municipalities in Huila, where the million-dollar investment was announced aimed at contributing to closing the digital divide, and providing development opportunities to all corners of the department.
An important announcement regarding investments to enhance Huila in connectivity and Artificial Intelligence Microcenters, was made in Neiva by the Minister of Information and Communications Technologies, Óscar Mauricio Lizcano Arango After the development of a productive agenda in the company of Governor Rodrigo Villalba Mosquera, through several Huila municipalities.
In this sense, the head of the ICT portfolio announced the investment of $81,475 million aimed at improving connectivity in 386 educational institutions and communities through fiber optic systems and satellite connection; in the first measure with the installation of 10 Community Zones for Peace in Algeciras, as a PDET municipality, for an amount of $1.4 billion.
Likewise, the development of the Digital Power Schools program will be promoted, in which 113 educational institutions in 18 municipalities are prioritized, which will allow the technological infrastructure and digital skills of students to be strengthened, and the 5G Power Schools project, which will impact 273 schools in 28 municipalities. These two initiatives, financed with resources in the order of $71,000 million, will allow the official educational headquarters and the homes around those schools to be connected to the Internet.
In addition to these million-dollar investments to improve connectivity in educational environments, Minister Lizcano also announced the construction of two Artificial Intelligence Microcenters, one in Pitalito and the other in Neiva, with an investment of $9.5 billion. These centers will serve as training and training spaces in this cutting-edge technology, preparing local talent for the opportunities offered by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
112 connectivity communities will also be created in Huila with the purpose of benefiting the Community Action Boards with investments between $300 and $500 million for each organization, represented in teams, an initiative that seeks to empower these organizational structures.
Taking into account that the department of Huila is the leading coffee producer, with a 19.08% share of the national harvest, the ICT minister made an important announcement regarding technology to catapult this subsector.
“We committed to the governor and the mayor of Pitalito to develop an innovation project in coffee, to promote AgroTech in this region. Why coffee? Because Huila is the largest producer of the grain in Colombia, they are the new coffee axis, so we have to encourage that sector with investment and technology,” indicated the senior official.
For Governor Rodrigo Villalba, this million-dollar investment in connectivity is key to the development of the department, and that is why he committed to linking himself as a departmental government with these programs through resource counterparts to expand the coverage of these services.
«We are very pleased with the presence of the ICT Minister, because we feel that this ministry is in good hands. A couple of months ago I was in his office and he showed me his institutional offer, and we talked about our determination to actively link up, and today we are seeing it. Thank you for that investment that is being reflected in the department, and here we will continue to be ready to work hand in hand with technology.”added the leader of the Huilenses.
During his visit to Huila, the ICT Minister Óscar Mauricio Lizcano Arango, also announced the development of Technology Fields starting in July, which aims to train 10,000 Huila residents in programming, cloud management, and artificial intelligence. , through 4-month courses in 16 promotions, 4 in 2024, 8 in 2025, and 4 in 2026.
After the workshop held in Neiva with the Governor and 32 mayors, Minister Óscar Mauricio Lizcano Arango gave a conference on Artificial Intelligence at the Universidad Surcolombiana, Neiva headquarters, continuing with his purpose of democratizing this technology.
The agenda ended in Baraya, where 271 computers were delivered to the Joaquín García Borrero, La Troja and Antonio Baraya educational institutions. This initiative, with an investment of $390 million, seeks to close the digital divide and provide families in this municipality with the technological tools necessary for their personal and economic development.
Minister Lizcano’s visit to Huila marks an important milestone in the digital transformation of the region. The investments announced and the programs implemented will allow the opportunities of technology to be brought to all corners of the department, promoting the economic, social and educational development of Huila.
