The Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, has challenged Uganda ICT gurus to innovate Uganda based social media platform other than bothering government to return facebook
Government banned Facebook during the 2021 General Election for circulating unresearched information and immoral content to the general public.
“There has been a constant cry for the reopening of Facebook. But it was just an innovation by an individual. Why are we unable to come up with something of our own that can facilitate communication?” he questioned.
“Whether you hide your head in the sand or not, technology will be at your doorstep. Gone are the days when issues of technology were for the Western world. We have to embrace it and live with it,” he stressed.
Baryomunsi challenged Uganda’s academic institutions and innovators to take the lead in developing technologies that can facilitate communication and support the country’s digital transformation agenda.
At the recent 9th National Communication conference in Kampala themed “Harnessing Digital Innovation to Power Sustainable Local Solutions for Uganda’s Development Goals,” Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) Executive Director George William Nyombi Thembo challenged innovators to think beyond dependency on existing platforms like Facebook and instead develop indigenous digital solutions that address local communication and economic needs.
“Instead of asking government about Facebook, ask whether the void it left can motivate you to innovate. If Facebook was important, then create something different — a Ugandan-made platform,” he added.
He further stressed the importance of linking academic innovation with commercial value, saying that true innovation must meet market needs to be sustainable.
“Academia is good at innovating, but the private sector keeps its ears to the market 24/7. Whatever we do must have commercial value because through the private sector, we serve society,”Nyombi stated.
ISBAT University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mathew Mathai Kattampackal called for collaboration across sectors to inspire actionable digital solutions for Uganda’s development.
“Our goal is to connect research, policy, and innovation to the real needs of our communities,” he said.
Uganda launched her Digital Transformation Roadmap in April 2023 as an implementation tool aimed to speed up the country’s digital revolution. The roadmap that spans a period of five years (FY2023/24-2027/28) spells out key enablers aimed at actualizing aspirations embedded in the Digital Uganda Vision. These include attaining 90% household connectivity; 90% broadband coverage by geography; and 90% citizens accessing e-services online, among others by 2040.
This roadmap clearly outlines a comprehensive implementation plan to realize its vision and objectives. These objectives include enhancing digital infrastructure and connectivity; promoting digital services; fostering innovation and entrepreneurship; empowering digital skills and literacy and promoting cyber security, data protection and privacy in order to guide Uganda’s digital transformation agenda.