ICT Minister Ssebugwawo The State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, has directed all government agencies, with immediate effect, to stop outsourcing for ICT facilities and software. Speaking at the Ministry of ICT in Kampala to inaugurate the first-ever Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) and Innovation Council, Ssebugwawo said the government should […]
ICT Minister Ssebugwawo
The State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, has directed all government agencies, with immediate effect, to stop outsourcing for ICT facilities and software.
Speaking at the Ministry of ICT in Kampala to inaugurate the first-ever Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) and Innovation Council, Ssebugwawo said the government should promote and create employment opportunities for Ugandans in the ICT sector instead of only employing foreigners.
Ssebugwawo explained that the ICT sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy and capable of creating at least 100,000 new jobs in the next three years.
She directed the permanent secretary in the Ministry of ICT to ensure that they do not allow for procurement of foreign software yet there are competent Ugandans who can benefit.
“As a government we need to lead in the creation of employment opportunities for the youth ,Why do some agencies continue to use software developed by foreign entities ,I instruct the PS to issue a stern circular to all the accounting officers,we should not allow for procurement of foreign software yet we have competent Ugandans.” she said
Ssebugwawo has also directed the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) to reduce the cost of the internet in order to ease the cost of doing business.
ICT Minister Ssebugwawo
She says that now that the internet is increasingly becoming a must-have for all businesses, it’s important that its cost is affordable especially for startups and small business enterprises. She added that it is essential that the government improves the internet infrastructure in order to facilitate the growth of ICT innovations.
Uganda has the most expensive mobile data in East Africa, and the eighteenth most expensive in Sub-Saharan Africa. The government recently introduced a 12 percent tax on internet data, effective July this year, further hiking the cost of online access.
