East African Business Week (Kampala)
Stephen Nuwagira
14 January 2008
Kampala — Uganda's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy will be ready next month, the ICT state minister Alintuma Nsambu as said.
The document will guide the development and expansion of the sector. Nsambu made the remarks at a consultative workshop on ICT training and research partnership in Uganda in Kampala recently.
He said the policy paper has already been approved by cabinet and is awaiting Parliamentary approval. This he said would be done when Parliament resumes next month.
He also called on the ICT professionals to advocate for more ICT training especially at lower levels in primary and secondary schools to help in the improvement and strengthening of the ICT sector.
He added that government is doing this by promoting ICT in secondary schools where some selected schools are given free computers and also through the establishment of telecentres in different parts of the country.
However government has been asked to put in place an enabling environment and law to foster ICT growth in the country and promote innovation.
The dean of the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, Makerere University, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba said that lack of a law stifles research and innovation.
He explained that government should also support ICT development in country by giving consultancies to Ugandan ICT professionals instead of contracting expatriates.
Prof. Baryamureeba also called on both private and public enterprises to always share new technologies with ICT professionals in the country so that they can be imparted to their students instead of accusing graduates for lacking skills.
He added that such a partnership would help universities to produce students who are able to match the market needs.
He also challenged ICT professionals and universities to work closely with chief executives of players in the sector so that they can support them in funding research and securing placements for their students.
The workshop, which was organised by Makerere's Faculty of Computing and Information Technology attracted participants from all the universities offering ICT programmes in the country, ICT professionals in the private and public sectors and officials from ICT firms in Kampala.
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