A Science, Technology and Innovations driven economy may soon be a reality in Uganda if Cabinet approves a free and open software being developed.
Speaking at the 7th Africa Conference on Open Source Software at the Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo on Monday, Mr James Saaka, the executive director of National Information and Technology Authority Uganda, said there is a lot of registered software being used but is very costly.
He said globally, people develop Free Open Source Software (Foss) which Uganda would emulate for national development.
Mr Saaka said the country is in the initial stages to develop Foss, adding that the software can spur investment in research and development.
"We see that the Proprietary software is still expensive and if we are going to develop more online services, we can't afford but use alternative means to develop our e-government service," Mr Saaka said.
He also added that in Uganda, there is an advent of talent skilled in Foss and can help in innovations.
"We know there challenges of Foss, but as government, we will mitigate the risks in order to improve the uptake of Foss as a key enabler in ICT," Mr Saaka said.
Speaking at the same function, the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, said a review of the curriculum to include computer coding and programming at an early age would boost innovation in the country.
"With the Free and Open Source Software movement growing and offering real solutions to many technological problems still being faced in the developing world, the government needs to review the education curriculum to incorporate courses on coding and programming," he said.
Going by the current curriculum, exposure to a computer comes at secondary school level.
However, several schools and private sector initiatives introduce children to computers on their own.
These include Outbox Uganda, an incubator for tech-based innovations in Uganda, which runs The Kids Computer Programming launched in 2014.
The programme targets children aged between six and 11 years old. The programme tags itself as an initiative that seeks "to build the next generation of creators by teaching kids how to build their own games, stories and animations using software".
However, most schools in the country lack access to computers due to the high costs and inadequate supply of electricity.
About coding
Computer coding is defined as the symbolic arrangement of data or instructions in a computer programme. It is often through such a process that computer programmers are able to build solving innovations and build software relevant to the economy.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Dorothy Nakaweesi and Mark Keith Muhumuza
Quelle/Source: AllAfrica, 24.08.2016
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