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Thursday, 5.12.2024
Transforming Government since 2001

UG: Uganda

  • Uganda: ICT Policy to Boost Tourism

    The Ministry of Tourism Trade and Industry became the first ministry to launch a sector Information and Communication Technology policy that will improve information flow within the ministry as well as between the ministry and its affiliated institutions.

    The sector policy launched by Dr Ham Mulira, the ICT minister is expected to boost tourism and trade figures by availing qualitative information to tourists and investors in an efficient manner.

  • Uganda: ID cards project needs to be adjusted

    That there was a sense of urgency to have the national identity card project started is understandable.

    ID cards are the basis of any society. They are crucial in fighting crime and terrorism, as well as ensuring free and fair elections.

    They are, therefore, long overdue. Merging the voter registration process with the ID cards project was equally a good idea as it is killing two birds with one stone.

  • Uganda: Inflated costs set to delay faster Internet

    Ugandans may have to wait longer for the broadband revolution after Parliamentarians refused to approve Shs122 billion for the second phase of a countrywide Information and Communication Technology (ICT) backbone infrastructure project, citing corruption and inflation of costs in the first phase of the project.

    Legislators on the ICT Committee of Parliament last week questioned the $126 million (about Shs252 billion) cost for the national ICT project, arguing that Rwanda is carrying out a similar project across 2,300 km for only $38 million (about Shs76 billion).

  • Uganda: Inspector General of Government clears controversial internet project

    The Inspectorate of Government has cleared the controversial sh200b Government internet project. The project, which consists of three phases, involves building a 2,100km fibre optic cable network.

    Ultimately, it is meant to link Uganda to the submarine cable on the East African coast and provide faster and cheaper internet access.

    The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Raphael Baku, gave the go-ahead in a letter to ethics minister Nsaba Buturo earlier this month.

  • Uganda: Internet cable project stopped

    The National Information Technology Authority has stopped the laying of the Internet cable over reports of poor quality and inflated costs.

    The three-phase project, which was meant to be ready by now, has been mired in controversy since it started in 2006.

    The cable is meant to be linked to the submarine cable that arrived at the East African coast recently and to provide faster and cheaper Internet access to Uganda.

  • Uganda: Investors demand high-tech solution to end corruption

    Investors have urged the Government to reduce the bottlenecks in doing business by embracing new information and communication technologies that speed up processes and ensure transparency.

    During the presidential investors’ roundtable at Speke Resort Munyonyo yesterday, several investors rapped what they called the persistent bureaucratic tendencies of government officials who refer to ‘powers from above’.

  • Uganda: Minister explains national ICT project

    THE second phase of the National Data backbone project will not begin until the first phase repairs are completed, the information and communication technology (ICT) minister has said.

    Aggrey Awori rubbished allegations of controversy in the appointments to the National IT Authority board of directors.

    He was responding to MP Ishaa Otoo’s allegations in an earlier press conference, where he (Otoo) also said there was corruption at the ICT ministry.

  • Uganda: Minister Urges More Effort to Attain ICT Effectiveness

    Uganda has arguably made substantial progress in both rolling out key ICT infrastructures and creating an apt environment in which people can piggyback on these facilities to expand the comfort and convenience of their lives.

    However the latter is not happening as it should be, according to Uganda's ICT Minister Dr Ham-Mukasa Mulira (pictured)and that realisation is partly the centre of intense deliberations by the ongoing e-Governance Forum on how citizens can be primed to effectively utilise ICT tools.

  • Uganda: Ministries linked get to video-conference facilities

    The e-governance infrastructure project which makes real-time, live intercommunication between ministries is now fully operational.

    For the record, Information and Communication Minister Dr. Ham-Mukasa Mulira has confessed that it is now very possible for the President, if he so wishes, to participate in any Ministry board meeting and be able to view members and participate verbally in the meeting without physically being present.

  • Uganda: MPs allow govt to get sh48b loan

    Parliament has allowed the Government to borrow $30m (about sh48b) from China to improve the communication sector. The money, to be borrowed from the Export and Import Bank of China, will fund the National Data Transmission Backbone Infrastructure project.

    “The purpose of the project is to improve the communication infrastructure in the country, reduce the cost of communication and improve communication within the Government,” the finance minister, Ezra Suruma, told Parliament on Tuesday.

  • Uganda: MPs block e-governance project over shoddiness

    The House committee on Information, Communication and Technology says it will authorise implementation of the $60 million (Shs114b) project only after officials offer proper accountability for the national fibre-optic backbone phase I expenditures.

    A government plan to wire all district local governments on a virtual platform to popularise e-governance and minimise burgeoning administrative spending has been blocked by Parliament, Daily Monitor can reveal.

  • Uganda: National fibre optic backbone project

    The National Fibre Optic Backbone Project has recently been the discussion topic in the Parliamentary Committee on ICT and the Ministry of ICT where clarifications on the project were sought. There is evident need to articulate what the project is about, what it means to the country and the region together with a clear understanding of the technology and related financial aspects.

    In the current business environment, Information Systems, the Internet and global communication networks are creating new opportunities for organisational coordination and innovation. Such systems, used in government/governance, can extend reach and effectiveness of both to remote locations, and improve service delivery to citizens. Current practice has been satellite based communication links, but the associated costs are prohibitive and result in minimised access size of paths, (bandwidth) leading to slow Internet speeds, for example.

  • Uganda: National ICT Project to Connect Schools

    All districts up to parish level will have access to Information and Communication Technology facilities by 2010.

    The project being implemented under the Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF), is estimated to cost close to Shs2 billion.

    While addressing a one-day workshop on the establishment of laboratories and Internet connectivity in schools and district health offices on December 3, Mr Patrick Masambu, the executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), said each school in the 80 districts will get 10 computers for the start.

  • Uganda: Parliament approves sh500b loan

    The national economy committee of Parliament has approved the Government’s plan to borrow $61,059,125 (about sh120b) and $15,319,511 (about 30b) from the China Export and Import Bank (EXIM) for phase two and three of the E-Government projects respectively.

    The committee also approved the Government proposal to borrow Special Drawing Rights of about $200m (about sh400b) from the International Development Association (IDA) to support the implementation of the Poverty Eradication Action Plan.

  • Uganda: Penalties set for internet abuse

    Traders who send unsolicited commercial junk e-mails will face tough penalties when the Electronic Transactions Bill 2008 is enacted into law.

    Parliament yesterday passed the Bill that is expected to become law if the President assents to it.

    The Bill was, however, passed without debate because most of the members did not understand it. After the ICT committee chairperson, Nathan Igeme Nabeta, presented the committee report to the House, there was no response from members as expected.

  • Uganda: Save mothers’ lives using mobile phones

    The forthcoming African Union (AU) summit in Kampala is meant to find solutions to the high maternal deaths in Africa. Uganda has been chosen as the host for the 15th AU summit scheduled for July 25 to 27, because of its contribution towards peace and stability in Africa.

    Uganda sent troops to Somalia to contribute to the peace in that region and she is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Prior to the summit, an African Youth forum will be held in Entebbe from July 17 to 19. This is a good initiative by the African governments to involve young people in matters that will affect their future.

  • Uganda: That abusive SMS could land you in jail

    Sending an abusive text message may land you in jail for up to three years after Parliament yesterday passed two new pieces of legislation designed to control cyber crimes and promote e-governance.

    In pushing for the enactment of the two cyber Bills, the government argued that the new laws will go a long way in protecting computer users against online crime by detecting and deterring personal intrusion and fraud. It is now a crime for anyone to send to another what is regarded as abusive content using a mobile phone.

  • Uganda: This country urgently needs the E-government

    Parliament has this year created more than 20 new districts bringing the number of the local administrative units to an unprecedented 114. Uganda is one of the smallest countries in Africa with more districts than any other country on the continent. Algeria, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the largest countries in Africa but each has less than 60 districts.

    This has certainly placed great strain on the limited physical and human resources with some districts having hardly any competent technocrats to run them. Another area of our public life that has been affected by the proliferation of districts in this country, is the coordination of both policy and institutional structures.

  • Uganda: U.S. Funds E-Government Feasibility Study

    The US government through the its Trade and Development Agency has granted Uganda $318,000 (Shs550 million). The money will be used to fund a feasibility study for an integrated information and communications technology (ICT) network for government-related functions (e-government) in Uganda.

    The feasibility study was requested by the government and is a first step in the country's implementation of its recently developed National ICT Policy.

  • Uganda: We need fibre optic project to join new information age

    The National Fibre Optic Backbone Project has been a topic of discussion in the Parliamentary committee on information and communication technology (ICT) and the ICT Ministry. There is, therefore, need to articulate what the project is about, what it means to the country and the region, with a clear understanding of the technology and related financial aspects.

    In the current business environment, information systems, the Internet and global communication networks are creating new opportunities for organisational coordination and innovation. Current practice has been satellite-based communication links, but the associated costs are prohibitive and result in minimised access size of paths, (bandwidth) leading to slow Internet speeds.

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