The UWI Five Islands Campus, Antigua and Barbuda. Thursday, March 18, 2021. — On March 29, 2021, The University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus in Antigua and Barbuda will explore the adoption of Blockchain for One Caribbean as it hosts the fourth in a series of monthly virtual conversations.
This month’s speaker at the Campus’ Public Advocacy Series will be Barbadian Blockchain technologist and entrepreneur, Gabriel Abed. Abed has become globally recognised as the man to invent the Caribbean’s very first digital dollar to be issued by a central bank. He has also earned a reputation as a regulation technologist, blockchain evangelist, global activist, and World Economic Forum Council Member.
Abed will discuss how Blockchain for One Caribbean could transform ICT, and in so doing, affect substantial disintermediation across a wide variety of industry verticals; changes to supply chains and logistics relationships among retailers, customers, suppliers and manufacturers.
The potential disruptive impact of Blockchain will require Caribbean businesses and governments to develop extensive insights and critical understanding of the full effects of these emerging technologies for the region. Higher education institutions like The UWI Five Islands Campus are currently engaged in reimagining the future of work in a post-COVID-19 era. This means developing the next generation of visionary tech entrepreneurs who among possessing other skills, would be equipped to help governments and businesses develop innovative Blockchain solutions for the Caribbean.
The virtual event takes place on Monday, March 29, 2021 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Caribbean time). Opening remarks will be delivered by Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, Professor Densil Williams and followed by Abed’s feature presentation. Participants will be able to pose questions directly to Abed during the discussion segment. Persons can register online at the Campus’ website: https://fiveislands.uwi.edu/publicadvocacyseries/.
The Five Islands Campus looks forward to the OECS and wider Caribbean community joining this pivotal conversation with one of the region’s leading technology experts.
More about Gabriel Abed
Gabriel Abed is a born and raised Barbadian blockchain technologist and entrepreneur, pioneer of Central Bank digital currencies, a blockchain evangelist, bitcoin astronaut, digital strategy advisor to Governments, who has been actively engaged in frontier technologies for 15+ years.
In April 2018, Mr. Abed was appointed as the Special Technology Advisor to the Honorable David Burt, Premier of Bermuda and has been advising the Premier and his government on establishing their policies and best practices related to blockchain and cryptocurrencies, as well as creating a vision for the nation to create a new industry for its future growth, wellbeing and economic prosperity. In 2020 he was also appointed as a distinguished member of the World Economic Forum, Global Future Council; the world-renowned international platform which engages the most foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas, where he advises on cryptocurrencies and similar technologies, contributing his expertise and knowledge to develop innovative ideas to building back better initiatives for the world’s industries.
With his technical and innovative creativity, Mr. Abed has also been able to explore other technological avenues and as of 2020, he has been working tenaciously as the founder of “Abed Ventures”, a new company geared towards creating, growing and funding regulatory technology companies. He is also the co-founder of Digital Asset Capital Management; a company geared towards constructing and actively managing funds of high-growth digital assets that offer sophisticated and institutional investors what is believed to be the most optimal exposure to the rapidly growing technology.
About The UWI
The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.
From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.
Ranked among the top universities in the world, by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. In 2020, it earned ‘Triple 1st’ rankings—topping the Caribbean; and in the top in the tables for Latin America and the Caribbean, and global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old). The UWI is also featured among the top universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.
For more, visit www.uwi.edu.
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)
