Cuba’s interest in developing software with Indian companies flourishes

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According to the Cuban Deputy Minister of Communications, there are several bases that can promote greater progress and scope of ties between India and Cuba in the field of information technology.

By Alfredo Boada Mola

Cuban software industry executives appreciate the capabilities deployed by India in this sector, which has been experiencing a significant increase in the development of computer applications and services since the 90s of the last century. There have been two-way exchanges between the two countries and Cuban representatives have been present at the “IndiaSoft” event, which is held periodically and in which specialists from the island appreciated the diversity of high-quality modern products promoted by Indian entities.

On the other hand, Indian software industry professionals have visited Cuba and held meetings with their counterparts from the Caribbean island, expressing their pleasant impressions about the sector on the island.

Recently, the Ministry of Communications and the Union of Cuban Informatics launched an invitation to participate in the XVIII edition of the Convention and International Fair Informatica 2022, to be held from March 21 to 25, 2022, at the Havana Convention Palace, in person and also from virtual platforms (informaticahabana.cu/en/home/).

The event’s slogan “Together for digital transformation” supports the idea of the innovative application of digital capabilities and technological solutions to processes and products by government entities, universities, the information technology industry, the non-state sector and citizens, in terms of economic development and meeting the needs of society.

In an interview with Prensa Latina news agency, the first deputy minister of Cuba’s Ministry of Communications, Automation engineer Wilfredo González Vidal, said “the capacities promoted by India in the field of technologies are extensive, with important contributions in the use of its labor force and in its skills, products and services.”

According to the Cuban Deputy Minister of Communications, there are several bases that can promote greater progress and scope of ties between India and Cuba in the field of information technology.

 Among these factors, Gonzalez pointed out that the capacities and skills created in Cuba in terms of human resources can be used by Indian companies in the development of IT applications and services from the other side of the ocean.

 This would allow Indian businessmen to reduce the response times in their developments, by using computer experts in Cuba at alternate times due to the existing difference between the time zones in which the two countries are geographically located, said Gonzalez as an example.

Secondly, he added, the possibility for both parties to take advantage of the IT products created in each of the two countries, especially Cuban products that could increase the portfolio of products and services of Indian companies.

On the other hand, the creation of scientific and technological parks in Havana and other Cuban provinces is another of the virtues that could be of interest to Indian companies, since through the use of the human resources of Cuban universities, solutions could be developed and the commercialization of the products created in the Latin American and Caribbean region could be extended, including the benefits of being able to use the Spanish language to benefit the positioning of various products and services.

Cuba shows its strengths in the field of information technology and communications. Since the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, which boosted the national literacy campaign in 1961, the country has been immersed in a continuous process of training men and women dedicated to science, and in that sense, thousands of young people in Cuba have already graduated in careers related to information and communications technologies, explained González. Currently, Cuban professionals constitute an important pool of highly qualified human resources for the development of quality products and services in the field of information technology, said the expert.

For several years, Cuba has been deploying high-impact IT solutions, such as digital payment gateways for government and e-commerce, a collaborative messaging system called Todus, an online video and audio-visual management platform called Picta and a platform for the management of cell phone applications called Apklis, among other IT productions.

Cuba’s First Deputy Minister of Communications, Wilfredo González, led a delegation from the Caribbean island to the information technology conference and exhibition “Indiasoft 2019”, which was held in the city of Hyderabad, Telangana, with the aim of promoting the electronics, computing and IT applications and services sector in India.

The Cuban delegation showed in Hyderabad the quality and prestige of Cuba’s human resources in the area of applications and professional computer products and services.

 Gonzalez said that during the dialogues held with businessmen and officials of the state government of Telangana, the parties agreed to highlight the opportunities for joint work in the field of information technology, being India one of the world leaders in the software industry.

 Also, Cuba has a highly qualified human resource to develop an industry of computer applications and services to boost the domestic economy, replace imports and export professional services and high quality computer products, explained the official.

The Caribbean island has graduated more than 75 thousand people in university careers related to information technologies in the last 50 years, and the country has approved a comprehensive policy for the improvement of the informatization of the whole society, which establishes the development of the state enterprise of computer applications and services.

Meanwhile, the Mariel Special Development Zone, located west of Havana, is an area with access to the sea that is very favorable for the operation of firms in the software sector, based on the use of the local labor force and the existence of certain markets.

During his visit to India, the Cuban official and his companions toured an information technology park in the city of Noida, in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Gonzalez met with the director of India’s Software Technology Parks, Rajneesh Agrawal, and with several executives of the sector, with whom he exchanged experiences on these sites, created to link IT developments and human resources dedicated to research, development and innovation.

The informatization policy of the Republic of Cuba, approved in 2017 by the Council of Ministers of the Caribbean country, favors the creation of scientific-technological parks to link the sectors of research, development and innovation of universities with the centers producing informatics services.

 Also, Deputy Minister Gonzalez said that his delegation was able to learn first-hand about the experience of the state of Telangana, which organizes the creation of products and new companies in the field of information technology, generating quality jobs, as well as the necessary infrastructure for these purposes.

The group of Cuban experts visited the Hyderabad Institute of Information Technology, a university campus where new IT solutions companies are incubated. In places like this, favorable work spaces are created to innovate and develop IT applications and services.

The Cuban delegation held several working meetings with officials, businessmen and academics from the software industry of India and other countries during the Indiasoft conference and exhibition of information technologies.

The event in Hyderabad, India’s fourth largest city, served as a venue for the promotion of the electronics, computer and IT applications and services sector with the attendance of more than 200 Indian companies and around 400 service providers from 75 nations from several continents.

 Known for its rich history, culinary and multilingual culture, Hyderabad began its transformation into a cyber-city, making it a node for information technology and IT services.

  The area, besides being a center of scientific and technological development in information technology infrastructure, is also a hub of the pharmaceutical industry and industrial research, where more and more companies are establishing themselves. 

   The Cuban official said that after his visit to Telangana he foresees closer cooperation between India and Cuba, a small nation but which has a highly qualified human resource to develop an industry of computer applications and services capable of boosting the domestic economy, replacing imports and exporting professional services and computer products.

   Cuba’s First Deputy Minister of Communications, Wilfredo González Vidal, reiterated his invitation to Indian companies, academics, specialists and other Indian players in the field of information and communications technologies to participate physically or online and showcase their products and services at the Informática 2022 event and its virtual fair, from March 21 to 25, 2022, at the Havana Convention Palace.

Indian players and companies can register online at informaticahabana.cu/en/home/ to participate in the event, where they will be able to establish working relationships with counterparts from Cuba and Latin America and the Caribbean.

(The author is the Chief Correspondent India-South Asia of Latin American News Agency Prensa Latina. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Reproducing this content without permission is prohibited).