Kampala — UGANDANS spend $18m per year on Internet access, the executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Patrick Masambu, has said.

"Uganda's Internet costs are the highest in the region. It costs $2,300 for accessing 512 mega bits per second per month whereas in Kenya, the 512 mega bits cost $500," Masambu said.

He said Kenya had managed to reduce the costs to $500 due to assistance from the World Bank.

"The Government needs to bring in information and communications technology (ICT) in a critical mass like India has done. That has resulted into employing two million Indians," Masambu said in a presentation at workshop in Kampala.

He said the critical ICT mass could be installed in educational institutions, government departments and local and international institutions.

Masambu said the sector was riddled with lack of a business process outsourcing centre for skills training and lack of an identified ICT niche.

Other obstacles to the sector include high costs of hardware and ICT equipment and infrastructure.