Ugandan and European digital stakeholders vow to boost coordination

Kampala, 26 May 2022 – The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) & National Guidance, the European Union Delegation to Uganda, and representatives from different European development agencies gathered today to discuss opportunities to increase coordination and foster new collaborations between Ugandan digital stakeholders and European partners.

The event “Mapping of the Digital Savannah: Strengthening European-Ugandan Digital Cooperation” took place at the National ICT Innovation Hub Nakawa, Kampala, and served as an opportunity to identify diverse Digital for Development (D4D) initiatives taking place in the framework of Uganda-Europe relations.

“Uganda has a vibrant digital ecosystem and there are many active collaborations and exchanges with European stakeholders. Our objective today was to bring together all of these actors to find synergies and discuss new ways of working together. This is particularly important for the European partners as we are moving forward with a joint cooperation approach – what we call Team Europe. Our aim is to collectively leverage our resources and expertise so we can better support Uganda’s digital transformation and improve citizens’ well-being,” said Bart Cornille, D4D expert at Enabel, the Belgian development agency.

Participants also discussed the progress in the implementation of Uganda’s priority areas in the D4D field, which have established clear targets to improve connectivity, boost employment through digital entrepreneurship and innovation, and increase online public services, among other goals. New opportunities were identified to reinforce cooperation, and the parties involved committed to continue engaging in a D4D dialogue.

A highlight of the event was the panel discussion titled: “Multi-stakeholder roundtable on priority areas for Uganda: Are we getting there?” with the participation of:

• Rebecca Kiconco – Vice Chairperson BPO and Innovation Council
• Michael Ocero – Commissioner E-Government, Ministry of ICT & National Guidance
• Rowena Turinawe – Head ICT Advisory, Research & Strategy, Centenary Technologies Services.
• Paul Odoi – Principal Data Networks Engineer, Ministry of ICT & National Guidance
• Lyllian Nakasujja – Operations Manager Refactory

“The Ugandan Government has a clear vision and priorities on how to transform our society so everyone can benefit from the opportunities created by the digital revolution. We welcome our European partners’ initiative to work even closer to achieve these goals and to better coordinate to support the implementation of our digital policies,” declared Dr. Aminah Zawedde, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance.

The event was facilitated by Enabel, GIZ, and EstDev in the framework of the African Union-European Union (AU-EU) Digital for Development (D4D) Hub, a project that brings together the European Union and five of its Member States to leverage expertise and resources to advance digital cooperation with African partners.

About the AU-EU D4D Hub

The African Union – European Union (AU-EU) Digital for Development (D4D) Hub supports African institutions to create an enabling environment for an inclusive digital transformation. The project provides demand-driven technical assistance, promotes knowledge sharing, and facilitates dialogues.

The AU-EU D4D Hub is a Team Europe project, co-funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by eight European organisations. It is part of the D4D Hub, an EU-led platform that creates and leverages partnerships to shape a sustainable digital future worldwide.

More information : au-eu.d4dhub.eu

Media contacts

Brandy Azeirwe Valentine
Communication Officer
Ministry of ICT & National Guidance
Tel : +256 788 125 708
Email: brandy.azeirwe@ict.go.ug

William Yeka
Communications Officer
Enabel in Uganda
Tel : +256 701 15 37 27
Email: william.yeka@enabel.be