IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The ministry of ICT & National Guidance, UNDP and Centenary Technology Services (Cente-Tech), have started the process that will define Uganda's long term roadmap on digital transformation.

Cente-Tech's Chief Technology Officer, Peter Kahiigi, said during a meeting of various stakeholders that digital transformation is accelerating in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Armando Angulibo, Training Coordinator commented on the exercise saying it was projected towards community empowering through the use of ICT.

The training took 10 days where a total of 200 people in Arua municipality acquired skills in ICT such as networking, internet, hardware and management of ICT amenities.

At least that is the case if one considers the true definition of broadband, Nsubuga said.

"The quality of access to broadband Internet is poor," he said. "In my office, we get 2M bits of broadband, but this still falls far below the minimum speeds of true broadband. So, in Uganda, providers are selling us broadband equipment and not broadband connectivity."

According to Monitor, the team from South Korea's National IT Promotion Agency (NIPA) is in Uganda to prepare for the project. The experts have held a meeting with the National Information Technology Authority - Uganda (NITA-U) officials in Kampala, where they shared knowledge on how to implement e-governance.

Once the telecentres have been established, patients will travel only if they have to. These technologies permit communications between patient and medical staff with both convenience and fidelity, as well as the transmission of medical, imaging and health informatics data from one site to another. A doctor in India can offer a second opinion and help with diagnosing a patient in Uganda via a camera unit.

Cabinet has approved the proposed principles for the amendment of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2011 and the Bills of Exchange Act, Cap 68.

Addressing journalists at the Media Centre in Kampala today, minister for Information and National Guidance, Frank Tumwebaaze, said that the amendments will improve efficiency and effectiveness in the country’s financial service delivery.

The government hopes that with the e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system, entities will be in better position to manage public procurement and promote transparency through the procurement cycle.

Such government ministries, departments and local governments blame the failure of absorption of such monies on a lengthy procurement process.

The survey carried out by Earnest and young research company in 20 districts and all government institutes shows that only 37% of Government staff have computers to do work and of these only 38% get internet.

Speaking during the inauguration of the new board of directors of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) at the ministry’s offices in Kampala, he said discussions were underway with operators of Internet to get submarine cables at the Indian Ocean coast to avoid middlemen who hike prices.

This is a mandatory 2% annual levy on the revenue made by all licensed telecommunications companies operating in the country towards the UCC managed Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF).

MTN chief, Mazen Mroué, presented the sh15,925,352,350 to UCC’s Godfrey Mutabazi yesterday. Mroué said: “Telecommunications plays an increasingly important role UCC in plans to spread ICT literacy countrywide.

They will simply be registered online.

Their head teachers will not have to travel to Kampala, to the UNEB offices, to deliver their details. Their full details can be sent by email.

Despite the abundant opportunities the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector presents, it poses serious challenges, especially in the way people relate to each other, Trade minister Amelia Kyambadde has said.

Although she did not suggest the way forward, she said something must be done to stop the havoc ICT is inflicting on the way people relate to each other.

Efforts to solve Kampala's current infrastructural challenges and achieve government’s smart city plan is being stymied by unreliable data land management systems, an expert has said.

As such government’s programs to reorganize the city and ensure that Kampala conforms to the 21st century requirements are not achieving the desired results as fast as needed.

Speaking at the Uganda Institute of ICT in Kampala on Friday, Bob Lyazi, the Director of the Rural Communication Development Fund at UCC said about $10m had been invested in the initiative.

Each of these laboratories carries at least 40 custom made computers built to suit conditions in Uganda’s secondary schools.

In total, 1,543kms of underground optical fibre cable have been laid. But this is just about a fifth of the total urban population of Uganda and extensive work remains to be done as well as massive education of the masses to tap into this huge infrastructure project.

Twenty three towns have so far been covered in the completed phase one and two of the National Data Transmission Backbone Infrastructure and e-government infrastructure project, the IT authority has stated.

During a sensitization workshop of the third phase of the National Data Transmission Backbone Infrastructure and e-government infrastructure project in Masaka over the weekend, National Information and Technology Authority (NITA-U) said phases one and two are complete and have achieved connectivity to Kampala, Entebbe, Bombo, Mukono, Jinja, Busia, Tororo, Malaba, Mbale, Kumi, Soroti, Lira, Gulu, Elegu, Masindi, Nakasongola, Luwero, Mbarara, Bushenyi, Kasese, Fort Portal and Kyenjojo under the NBI.

Over 60 government ministries, departments and agencies have taken part in the e – government excellence exhibition organized by National Information Technology Authority (NITA) in collaboration with Huawei technologies.

A 2-day fair that began this morning is taking place at Garden City Roof Top and the general public is invited to attend.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), has deployed the city’s first-ever smart pole street lights totaling 87. The lights which are anchored on telecom infrastructure have been placed around various places in the city.

Thirty-three of them are deployed along Kololo Hill Drive, thirty along Nile Avenue, and 18 along Nkrumah Road.

The head of the State House Anti-corruption unit Lt Col Edith Nakalema has expressed optimism that digitalizing government entities will help curb prodigious corruption.

Nakalema who was appointed six months ago says lessening human interaction through automation is key in fighting this tempting evil.

For instance, despite the requirement that every student pays Shs30,000 per academic year for purposes of developing ICT in the National Teachers’ Colleges on top of budgetary provisions by the Ministry of Education, it is disheartening to report the high level of resistance arising out of the beliefs and practices of the students. The other main obstacle can be categorised under organisational management support structures.