Telephone: + 256-414-258197 Office of the Minister

Fax: +256-414-231314 Ministry of ICT and National

Website: www.ict,go.ug Guidance
In any correspondence on this
P O Box 7817.
subject please quote no: ADM 70/108/01
KAMPALA,

THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA UGANDA

PRESS STATEMENT ON 23rd April 2020

Women in ICT International Day.

Today is the International Day for Girls and Women in ICT. It is the
day that the world over takes off time to celebrate but also draw
attention towards the critical need for more girls and women in the
ICT sector.

The Ministry of ICT & National Guidance would like to use this day
to celebrate all the women in Uganda who are at the forefront of
ensuring girls and women have access to ICT and are actively
participating in there utilization.

The critical importance of ICTs cannot be over emphasized

especially under the current circumstances when the Uganda is
engaged in the response against COVID-19. With the ongoing
guidance on social distancing and keeping at home, ICTs have
become the main avenue through which people can continue to
carry on with their lives.

Currently government of Uganda is utilizing key ICTs in all major

COVID-19 responses such as surveillance of incoming long distance
truckers, public awareness and education, provision of health
services and coordinating relief activities. With over 300 radio
stations 39 television stations and a number of online registered
channels, Uganda’s is well placed to ensure that majority of people
especially women and girls do not miss out on the opportunities
that come with ICTs.
As government we are also aware of the specific challenges that
affect girls and women limiting their ability to freely access ICTs
such as radios, computers, phones and television sets. Some of
these challenges have to do with cost and the gender roles that
girls and women are expected to carry out in the homes.

Through the Uganda Communications Commission, my Ministry

has been implementing the Rural Communications Development
Fund and the key mission of this fund is to ensure that the
challenged communities especially those in the rural communities,
women and girls have access to these technologies. So far my
Ministry has supported over 1000 rural schools, tertiary institutions
and Universities with ICT labs. These labs also come with internet
connectivity.

My ministry is implementing an innovation program called the

National ICT Initiatives Support Program (NIISP) with the aim of
providing systematic and sustainable support to ICT innovators.
Under the NIISP, we are finalizing the construction and equipping
of an Innovation Hub which is going to provide space for the youth
and other ICT innovators to develop knowledge products. This
innovation hub with capacity to seat 500 people is located at UICT
in Nakawa.

In 2000, MOICT founded Uganda’s first ICT training institute known

as Uganda Institute of Information and Communications
Technology (UICT) by Uganda Communications Commission
(UCC). This was in compliance with the Commission’s mandate; to
establish, manage and operate a communication services training
center, as spelt out in section 5 (z) of the Uganda Communications
Act, 1997.

UICT is the only Government institution specializing in skills-based

middle-level ICT training. It offers practical-oriented ICT training at
certificate and diploma levels as an alternative to the theoretically-
grounded degrees offered by Universities and other Tertiary
Institutions in this same professional area. 60 percent of students
admitted at UICT are female.

I want to thank all the girls and women who are at the fore front
of ICTs in our country. We have so many of them working as
journalists in the print and broadcast industry. We have managers,
directors and leaders at different levels of public and private
service.

Let us use this day to reflect on how we can continue to serve our
country and ensure that Uganda gets the best of out of the ICT
revolution. Let us continue abiding with the existing guidance on
social distancing, sanitizing and keeping at home.

Thank you.

Judith Nabakooba

Minister for ICT and National Guidance.