Uganda: Minister of ICT wants to financially strengthen the fund dedicated to innovation
In 2020, nearly 1,000 ICT project leaders requested financial support from the government. 60 of them were enough to exhaust the available budget. As digital transformation becomes a priority again, Uganda wants to invest more in its tech community.
Ugandan Minister of Information and Communication Technologies, Judith Nabakooba, wants a financial strengthening of the innovation fund with an annual value of 15 billion shillings (4.16 million USD) created in 2016 to encourage innovation, create highly skilled jobs and improve the use of government data for ICT innovation and application development. This wish, she expressed it last week, during the visit of various innovation centers supported by the national program to support innovation in ICT.
Still about my tour of the different ICT innovation Hubs supported by @MoICT_Ug .
Second stopover is @MotivUG Hub – Industrial Area @MotivUG is both an Innovation Hub and a Creation Centre created 2 years ago pic.twitter.com/xLmKkxWla6— Judith Nabakooba (@JudithNabakoob1) April 15, 2021
The minister said during this public outing that once the attention on Covid-19 has eased, ” we will convince President Museveni to pressure us to get more money from the government “. She said she will ask for double the value of the fund. With ICT innovation, ” we have seen that there is a multiplier effect, jobs have been created, but there are also applications that have helped government and individuals to do business better ,” he said. -she adds.
Started off my day by touring different ICT Innovation Hubs which are supported by @MoICT_Ug under the National ICT Innovations
Support Program (NIISP).My first stopover was at the Makerere Innovation and Incubation Center (MIIC), @miic_ug found @MakerereU pic.twitter.com/4hJd0qQOOS
— Judith Nabakooba (@JudithNabakoob1) April 15, 2021
The lobbying that Judith Nabakooba is considering with the President of the Republic is the result of the explosion in requests for the innovation fund by tech entrepreneurs and project leaders. By highlighting the importance of digital technology in a world in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, the Covid-19 has aroused enthusiasm in the Ugandan innovative tech community.
With more funding available, Judith Nabakooba believes that more ICT project leaders will be supported, creating dynamism in the national startup sector. Jobs will be created, as will wealth, which will contribute to the growth of the national economy.
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