The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development also Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi has said that as of now the future of Uganda’s economy hinges on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).
Delivering his keynote address on Thursday at Kololo independence grounds at the National Science Week, Mr. Ggoobi noted that the currently, major economies in the world are thriving on science and technology and if Uganda joins the league there will be tremendous changes and more jobs will be created thus improving people’s standards of living.
“Science and Technology are going to be the basis for the solutions to the world’s socio-economic and security problems. STIs are a propellant for building a thriving country and the happiness of Ugandans & the future of our country hinges on STIs,” he said.
Mr. Ggoobi added that because the future of Uganda’s economy hinges on STI, in the past 5 years Government has spent a total of Shs1.112 trillion on Science, Technology and Innovation interventions. The annual budget for STI has grown from Shs 52.8bn in FY 2018/19 to Shs 476.9bn last FY 2021/22.
“We are very pleased with the government’s commitment to supporting this commitment to using Science, Technology and Innovation as a vehicle to transform Uganda because countries that have embraced STI have developed faster. I applaud H.E President Kaguta Museveni for championing STI in Uganda and as government, we are committed to increasing funding for STI so that Uganda can catch up in the 4th Industrial Revolution.”
The Permanent Secretary further stated that Science, technology, engineering, and innovation are key drivers of socio-economic transformation for their capacity to improve productivity, enhance private sector competitiveness, promotion of accelerated growth, and creation of jobs.
“The large disparities in incomes and social development between developed and developing countries are rooted in considerable differences in technology use and focus on research and development, therefore this is a good move for our country,” he said, adding that, “In the same spirit, I applauded Ugandans for having minds specialized in formalized curiosity and creation of knowledge.”
Dr Monica Musenero, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation who was the host of the week also noted that Science and technology hold the key to the present and future development of Uganda and as a government, they are aware that to escape from poverty, investment in science and technology education is the key.
Meanwhile, this year’s Science week has had a series of events including a public exhibition showcasing Ugandan innovations, an Investor Summit to drive investment into Ugandan science technology and innovation ventures, and various topical panel discussions.
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