Uganda: Universities Poised to Become Key Players in Driving Innovation, Growth in Country's Economy

6 July 2023
Nile Post (Kampala)
By Muhamadi Matovu

Dr Aminah Zawedde has said the government is working with academia to establish innovation hubs in all universities in the country

This is intended to boost the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) programme.

A panel of industry experts on Wednesday night discussed the future of BPO in Uganda and how it could evolve with the use of automation.

The discussion was on the topic: Future of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO): Embracing an evolving landscape with automation.

BPO is a business practice in which an organisation contracts with an external service provider to perform an essential business function or task. Currently, the use of BPO has expanded, with for-profit businesses, nonprofits and even government agencies outsourcing a range of tasks to service providers located across the world.

It is believed that implementing BPO can save many young people from unemployment, particularly in countries like Uganda, where most of the population is under 30 years of age.

Speaking during the Show, Zawedde, who is the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Information Communication Technology and National Guidance, explained how the ministry is partnering with innovative hubs to promote the growth of BPO.

The initiative aims to create an innovative mindset and produce solutions that can be scaled up to commercial production. The majority of the population in Uganda is under 30 and many graduates struggle to find work. The government hopes the programme will help counter this issue.

"We know innovation starts in an academia kind of setting. If we set up innovation hubs in a university does not mean someone has to have a degree to go to that hub. For the BPO to thrive, we need to have our youth engaged," she said.

She said the government is introducing policies to support the scheme and is looking to create platforms for people to work from home but for companies within Uganda, as well as companies outside of the country that leverage ICT technologies.

According to statistics, BPO has proved to be a solution in solving the problem of unemployment, especially in countries like Uganda whose majority of the population is youth.

Zawedde said infrastructure is being set up to support the initiative and promote high-speed internet access throughout Uganda, ensuring people can communicate and work from anywhere.

She noted that BPO requires all players including the private sector, the innovators, the academia, government, development partners among others to work together.

"The message I send to the youth is we should change our attitude towards work. If you don't match up, our neighbours will take on the jobs. Uganda has the advantage of having one of the youngest populations, Japan has one of the oldest populations in the world so they are looking for who to employ, "she said.

"We need to learn to teach ourselves, to be professional, and love our country. BPO is about how you brand your country and marketing it. It starts with you," she added.

Prof. Bazeyo William, the chairperson of the BPO council, appealed to the media to help promote Uganda as a BPO destination to attract investors. The authorities have invested heavily in ICT infrastructure, ensuring Uganda is ready to take advantage of this growing sector. Some companies are already looking to establish a BPO presence in Uganda.

Bazeyo called for more investment in media BPO to help grow the industry further. He said that the government is working to engage academics in educating them about BPO and its benefits.

The Ministry of Information Communication Technology and National Guidance drafted the National Business Process Outsourcing Policy (BPO) this year to create jobs and improve the livelihoods of Ugandans.

This policy's goal is to provide a framework for the growth and development of the BPO industry, creating job opportunities and driving economic growth.

BPO has increasingly become a vital part of many businesses, allowing them to focus on their core competencies.

Outsourcing non-core tasks to specialist service providers is an opportunity for smaller businesses to expand their services while reducing start-up costs.

By leveraging ICT technologies and access to a skilled workforce, Uganda has an opportunity to take advantage of this growing industry while providing opportunities for its young, highly-educated workforce.

Read the original article on Nile Post.

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