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Speech at Official Opening of the Second Annual International Conference
2006-08-06 Speech By
H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
President of the Republic of Uganda
At the Official Opening of the Second Annual International Conference on SUSTAINABLE ICT CAPACITY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Makerere University
Kampala, Uganda
7th August 2006
The Cabinet Ministers Present;
The Vice Chancellor Makerere University;
The Chairperson of Makerere University Council;
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and Heads of Diplomatic Corps;
The Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology;
Distinguished Participants;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
I am greatly honoured to be invited to officiate at the second annual International Conference, on Sustainable ICT Capacity in Developing Countries. I wish to commend Makerere University and in particular the Dean of the Faculty of Computing and his colleagues for their efforts towards the promotion of ICT in Uganda and beyond. I wish to extend warm welcome to all the participants who have come from outside Uganda.
The NRM government supports initiatives of global cooperation. Uganda, therefore, is ready to cooperate with governments and companies of other countries for the development of the ICT sector. I am proud to be associated with this conference because it enhances our inability to keep pace with the rapid technological advancements worldwide.
Government is fully aware of the increasingly important role of ICT in the economic development of nations. ICT is no longer a matter of choice -- it is a necessity in today’s world which is driven by technology and knowledge.
ICT opens up business and job opportunities and can largely contribute to increase national wealth. ICTs have become part of our daily life and have drastically changed the way we carry out various businesses, communicate, study, provide training and spend our leisure time – and, most importantly, ICT has democratised access to information.
The NRM Government is placing great emphasis on the sustained and structured development of the ICT sector; the ultimate aim being the transformation of people of Uganda into an information society. Information and communications are at the heart of human life and social development. People have always worked together by sharing information and knowledge through speech, writing, the printed word and, more recently, telephony and broadcasting. Sharing information empowers individuals and communities, and enables whole societies to benefit from the experience of everyone within them.
The last decade has seen major changes in our capacity to communicate and share information through new developments in information and communications technology, These changes offer tremendous new potential for effective communications, but their availability and accessibility to citizens and communities depends on decisions made by governments, business and civil society.
The NRM Government is fully committed to providing stakeholders with opportunities to develop the ICT sector and make ICT one of the pillars of our economy, and has created an enabling environment to encourage the private sector to make investments into ICT services.
Furthermore, we have addressed the issue of taxation of computer accessories with the aim of ensuring the availability of low cost Personal Computers.
Uganda Government’s decision to establish an ICT Ministry headed by Minister with a full cabinet portfolio shall enhance the development of good policies and infrastructure for ICT. This new Ministry needs the support of all of you in ICT sector in this country. It is our declared intention to integrate the various communication networks into a first class backbone to facilitate the opening up of the entire country through the deployment of information technology.
To expand the basis for ICT research, the government will support basic research at Universities and other centres. Support will be given to policy research to further our understanding of the links between ICTs and poverty reduction. Government must get involved in the basic research and human resource development; to this end, the University should provide a blue print for the setting up of state-of-the-art ICT labs. This information will enable us source for funds and support. We look forward to the setting up of ICT state-of-the-art technology parks or incubation centres for ICT.
The Uganda government will continue to support education and curriculum update to teach cutting-edge technologies to students. Furthermore, the government encourages the retraining of employees so that they can accommodate changes in newly emerging technologies. Initiatives like midnight classes in the Faculty of Computing will address the training needs of persons who are not coping with the rapid changes in technology.
One of the important ingredients of ICT is reliable source of electricity. Government has taken measures to expand the production of power; however, I call upon you scholars to advise on technologies of using alternative power sources and transmission media, such as solar power or satellite transmissions, which may be more appropriate where infrastructure is unreliable.
It is imperative that we do not lose sight of the needs of our society. Bridging the digital divide goes beyond mere computers and connections; people with access to ICT should be able to effectively utilise it to improve their lives.
Gender relations, roles, and patterns of resource access should be considered in order for ICTs to have positive development impact. Various social groups must have equal access to them, particularly disadvantaged groups such as the poor, children, and indigenous peoples. If country policies and development strategies do not account for these issues, ICTs can exacerbate inequalities, leaving disadvantaged groups lagging further behind. In Africa, we need to continuously address the issue of poverty.
Information and knowledge are crucial resources fundamental to the development process. Access to information and knowledge contributes to poverty reduction by allowing individuals and communities to expand their choices. ICT can contribute to income generation and poverty reduction by enabling people and enterprises to capture economic opportunities, thus increasing process efficiency, promoting participation in expanded economic networks, and creating opportunities for employment.
A significant gender gap exists between women’s and men’s active and equal participation in the knowledge society. This gap is present in every aspect of ICTs, including access to and use of ICTs, and also in the field of education and employment within the ICT sector. Experience has shown that women and men have different priorities and preferences in relation to technology.
Furthermore, literacy levels and education inevitably affect women's access to ICTs.
Another pertinent challenge is what content predominates the internet and in new ICT media? Who creates it? What is its cultural bias? Are viewpoints of people in Africa in the media; are our knowledge and interests adequately reflected? There are also language barriers to information access, which require the development of applications such as multilingual tools and databases.
There is also need for the creation of centres of excellence to act as a springboard for ICT industry development in developing countries. Why should we still spend millions of dollars to come up with software to handle our activities as if we cannot write this software here? We need is knowledgeable and skilled personnel who are well motivated to do it. China and India have been able to do exactly that. The steps which my government has made in policy formulation and infrastructure development are geared towards creating an enabling environment to this effect.
I trust that you shall have productive deliberations and exchanges that will support this call for accelerated development in ICTs. What is good for the elite, in the city and urban dwellers must be even better for the poor and rural dwellers.
I now have the pleasure to declare the 2006 workshop open.
Thank you.
For God and My Country ..End. |
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