Kamuli: Uganda Vice President Major (Rtd) Jessica Alupo, has encouraged Ugandans to emphasize information, communication and Technology (ICT) as a way of modernizing communities.
Alupo was officiating a pass out ceremony of over 300 students graduated in ICT. These are the beneficiaries of Huawei Digi-truck project of Huawei technologies, a Chinese company in collaboration with Busoga Consortium for Development (BCD).
This was at Kamuli Youth center in Kamuli district where BCD transited it’s leadership from Ronald Sanya to Simon Wakaze (Luuka district boss) as the new consortium governor deputized by Bishop Frank Tibagendeka.
In her remarks, Alupo commended Chinese government for the innovative support empowered to Uganda youths’ courtesy of technological studies.
She said Huawei Digi-truck project has set a pace in the countrywide efforts to extend ICT knowledge and it’s use in the conduct of business in the country and within the grassroot communities.
“This gives me hope that the graduands shall be the key better performers at both local and national levels as individuals and in government programs,” said Alupo adding that the importance of ICT in the development process of communities cannot be over emphasized in this era of globalization. This is an information age where information is considered the fifth factor of production in addition to the traditional factors of land, capital, labour and entrepreneurship.”
The vice president says that ICT has intensified competition in all sectors across the global market for both services and products.
“The people of Busoga and the rest of Uganda cannot, therefore, be left behind in this front,” she said, adding that jobs today are in commercial agriculture, industries, services and ICT sectors.
Alupo noted that government through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and ICT Ministry, is committed to promoting good governance and timely service delivery especially in the informal sector.
“Our mandate to this nobel cause is to provide technical leaderships, support, advocacy and laws legislation which will enable people to optimally utilize ICT in all pillars of life in the national development,” she said.
She hailed the Chinese ambassador, H.E Zhang Lizohong, for strengthening the relationship between Uganda and Chinese governments, and also being on the fore front to encouraging companies like Huawei to come and work in Uganda.
“Busoga local leaders shall soon move to China for special training in modernizations. When they go there, they get a lot of information to come and implement in Uganda,” Alupo revealed.
The first deputy prime minister, Hon. Rebecca Kadaga who also doubles as the Minister for East African Community Affairs, appreciated Huawei for prioritizing Busoga in such developmental programs.
“Thank you for making Busoga the priority in this National program and making ordinary people to access such trainings that are going to cause development in the region,” said Kadaga, urging graduands to use the studied knowledge to change their lives.
According to the Chinese ambassador to Uganda, China is determined to working with Uganda in terms of development and modernizations. He said that Chinese government is inquisitive on investing in Uganda following a number of existing investments.
“Uganda is an important country to China since our collaboration in 1962. We are ready to promote modernization in Busoga and Uganda as a whole,” said the ambassador.
