The Ministry of Information Communication Technology and National Guidance has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with International Computer Driving License (ICDL) African aimed at enhancing the levels of digital literacy in Uganda.
The MOU which was signed on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Ministry of ICT Kampala is also aimed at; Establishing digital skills standards for the workforce in Uganda.
It’s also aimed at promoting the re-skilling and upskilling of the government workforce to acquire appropriate digital skills to support eGovernment service delivery and to support the realization of the Digital Uganda Vision.
According to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT Dr Aminah Zawedde, the signed MoU will be implemented in five years through a collaborative effort. This is part of the wider government engagement with key partners that are geared towards enhancing the government’s ability to deliver e-Services to the citizens of Uganda as envisioned in the Digital Uganda Vision.
In order to kickstart the MOU, ICDL Africa has committed to supporting the government to undertake digital skills assessment across the government to ascertain the level of the digital skills gap. This will be undertaken within a period of six months. The report will inform, the digital skills agenda for the government.
“This is a significant milestone for the Ministry of ICT & NG guidance in our quest to ensure that government employees and citizens have the requisite skills to support and use the e-Government initiatives. I commit to providing the necessary support that will ensure this MoU is a success,” said Dr Zawedde.
Ms Solange Umulisa the General Manager of ICDL Africa welcomed the move of the government of Uganda to sign an MOU with them and she added that it’s time that government ensure the promotion of digital skills across.
“I am excited about this milestone, and to be adding Uganda to the lists of governments that we are directly partnering with to promote digital skills within government and the citizens. We are committed to enabling as many as possible to acquire 21st-century digital skills. We commit our total support to this MoU. We look forward to celebrating the successes of this MoU,” she said.
The State Minister of State for ICT, Joyce Ssebugwawo who witnessed that signing also called upon the Ministry together with the government of Uganda under the Innovation Hub Uganda to take lead in executing the just signed MOU perfectly. She also added that the MOU was signed in partnership with the Uganda Institute of Information Communication Technology and the National Innovation & Incubation Hub.
Meanwhile, the MOU comes at a time when digital literacy levels in Uganda are still very low. According to a recent report on the digital economy in Uganda, only 26 per cent of Ugandans are digitally literate and the rest are largely left out of the digital-aided services and economic activities. This is mainly because of the low penetration of digital-aided communication gadgets, such the smartphone, but also the high cost of the internet.
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