The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and National Guidance has asked Ugandan innovators and scientists to always innovate products that will market their country.
Last year, President Museveni embraced the work of all scientists in Uganda and asked the Ministry of Public Service to increase their salaries ‘since the world now depends on science.’
Uganda has always supported technology and many innovations have come out starting from schools and training young kids. Because of this, Uganda has moved up five places in the ICT Development Index (IDI) from 158 to 152. This was due to a collective approach undertaken by both the Government and the Private Sector.
However, although Uganda has improved its ranking regionally to 20th in Africa and second in the East African, there is still a need to market Ugandan products using the innovations of ICT.
Speaking during the media launch of Young Engineers in Kampala, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of ICT and Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, asked young aspiring scientists to engage also an innovation of local contents.
“If you move around the city and all suburbs in Kampala you will find young boys playing FIFA18 and 19 video games, this is one man’s innovation that he got from the European leagues and is now earning big money but at the same time selling their products,” said Bagiire.
He added, “As we train skills in our young generation how do you see if they come up with a hide and seek video game, and many other African games so that we can also sell out our culture like how other countries do.”
Bagiire said as young kids are equipped with skills that will enable them to get employment or create jobs, teachers and instructors should first concentrate on training them how to come up with games because this will impact their reasoning and money will be generated.
He appreciated the Young Engineer Uganda for looking far and start impacting science and technology skills in the young generation.
Arinaitwe Rugyendo, the Managing Director of this innovation said that opportunities are open to parents to bring their kids for training where each team is Shs200,000.
“If we need to see the best Uganda of tomorrow we would have started yesterday but it’s not too late. Let us start now and equip our young generation with science skills. Even if they don’t become engineers they will be better citizens because their brains would have passed through practical pieces of training,” said Rugyendo.
Young Engineers Uganda is a franchise of the worldwide e2 Young Engineers an international Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) educational enrichment programme for children aged between 4-15years.
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