The Uganda Security Printing Company (USPC) and the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB)- India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at enabling the government of Uganda to establish a National Security Information System (NSIS).
The program will be implemented through the Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP), supplied by IIITB.
Witnessing the signing ceremony today at the Office of the President in Kampala, the Minister In charge of Presidency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda revealed that the process started in June 2022 when stakeholders had interaction with a delegation from India.
During this period, the Minister said they knew they had a solution to help the Government of Uganda to establish an identity solution at a relatively cheap cost without compromising on the security of the country.
“Since that time, different teams have been set up to establish the authenticity and robustness of the Modular Open-Source Identity Platform in regard to the provision of identity solutions. The teams carried out due-diligence in India and Philippines where a report regarding findings was documented. In order to conduct a comparative analysis, a due-diligence was done in Germany and Macedonia over an alternative solution (Vericore). Based on the findings from the due diligence, it was established that MOSIP would be the way to go,” Hon. Babalanda said.
“I understand that the teams started negotiating with relevant stakeholders to find out how best this platform or solution could be offered to the government of Uganda as it embarks on the development of the NSIS. The negotiations have involved a number of stakeholders (key institutions) including the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U), Uganda Bureau of Standards (UBOS), security agencies and our technology partner (Veridos),” she added.
The Minister further noted that the MOU has officially cemented the relationship between USPC, as a representative of the government of Uganda and IIITB.
“As we embark on the implementation of this MOU, I would urge the parties to it, specifically USPC and IIITB and the end-user- NIRA to work in a collaborative manner so that the intentions of this MOU are realized,” she emphasized.
Hon. Babalanda also stressed that the establishment of NSIS has a critical timeline to be delivered and it provides a key foundation for the rest of the government plans or programs including the election roadmap.
“I therefore direct the USPC and its associated partners to this MOU to be mindful of the critical points or milestones that need to be delivered during the implementation of this MOU. As I conclude, I would like to thank the EC that has played a critical role in bridging the gap between NIRA and USPC over this matter.”
The Chairman of USPC Board of Directors, Prof Dr. Muhammed Ngoma thanked the Hon. Babalanda for her leadership and guidance towards the crucial exercise of identifying and bringing MOSIP on board.
“Thank you Hon. Minister for your patriotism and for keeping a keen and close eye on the entire exercise,” he said.
Prof. Ngoma also explained the success of revamping the National ID planform, conducting of National Census and implementation of Parish Development Model is hinged on the NSIS.
“MOSIP has potential to become the backbone of a strong digital data platform that can support other social services like e-governance, e-health and e-banking. A clean, robust, secure and scalable NIRA ID system will render a digitally verifiable foundation to ensure the targeted government interventions are transparent and accountable,” he disclosed.
Mr. Nagarajan Santhanam, the Chief Dissemination Officer at IIITB commended the government of Uganda for selecting them to provide reliable security solutions to the East African country. He also promised that they will be able to achieve the goal of the project.
“I thank you for selecting us to be part of your journey. Through capacity building, the system will be run by Ugandan experts,” Mr. Santhanam said.
The ceremony was also attended by officials from USPC, NIRA and Internal Affairs Ministry among others.
Set up in November 2018, USPC was formulated as a joint venture between the government of Uganda and a Germany Consortium Veridos as a special purpose vehicle to revamp Uganda Printing and publishing corporation (UPPC). It is mandated to produce and supply all such Security Documents whose printing is the preserve of the Government of Uganda, to supply, install and maintain all supporting hardware and software systems and equipment necessary for the production, supply and issuance of Security Documents.
USPC is also charged to operate and maintain the business and installation of Security Printing Factories and to construct buildings required to process Security Documents and to accommodate the related government organisations.
The Minister for the Presidency is the overall supervisor of USPC.
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