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Uganda has a favorable enabling policy and regulatory environment for ICT development. The recognition for ICT-led socio economic development by the government has led to an ongoing consultative process spearheaded by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology. In 1997 the President requested for strategies that would enhance ICT development in an effort to facilitate private sector investment growth in Uganda. A national ICT taskforce was established in 1999 drawn from key stakeholders and disciplines. The task-force has undertaken several consultative meeting and initiatives to solicit input to its draft policy document. Uganda is one of the four countries selected by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) in mid 1997 for support within its Acacia Initiative Programme. The latter is an international effort led by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to empower sub-Saharan African communities with the ability to apply information and communication technologies for their own social and economic development. Initially, Acacia will be rooted most deeply in four countries: Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda. Four areas of focus have been identified for initial investigation:
In December 1997, a workshop which brought together government officials, universities, NGOs, the private sector, and users and developers of ICTs, was held in Uganda to determine the vision for Acacia in Uganda, to formulate the national strategy, and to establish the basis for partnership formation. The national strategy has received full support from government officials, and CIDA and UNESCO promised to be key-donor partners. A Steering Committee was established and the Uganda National Council on Science and Technology (UNCS) has been selected to host the secretariat and to assume the functions of the Acacia programme national strategy executive body. Consensus building workshops and short feasibility studies were conducted by the Committee in five districts of the country to identify three sites to house pilot telecentres. A high level
dialogue was held in August 2000 to identify and harmonize the institutional
and sectoral issues. This was followed by a national ICT policy framework
workshop held in September 2000 through support of ECA, IDRC and UNESCO.
The workshop brought together stakeholders from government, parastatals,
the private sector, research and development institutions and training
institutions and discussed background information on the development
of ICT and identified institutional framework and the key policy issues
that need to be addressed. A consultative process that led to the
draft ICT policy framework document that now forms the basis for developing
ICT policy and plans for Uganda followed this. The Uganda
National Information and Communication Technology Policy
was finalized in October 2003. |
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