The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed a Record of Discussions with the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology and National Guidance to strengthen the ICT ecosystem and accelerate the creation of jobs for Ugandan Youth.
According to the ROD, it will herald access to one of the world’s most digitized nations, Japan, and its advanced technology knowledge, market and platforms.
The ROD will also deliver on the Framework for creating an enabling environment to support ICT acceleration, a Digital skilling program to strengthen Uganda’s global competitiveness, Business matchmaking between Ugandan companies and global ICT firms to create business opportunities for Ugandan companies.
Commenting on the signing of the ROD, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of ICT, Dr Aminah Zawedde, said, “We are determined to create an environment that nourishes ICT-centric innovation and generates new job opportunities for our young people. The partnership with JICA is one we are excited about.”
She noted that there is the quality of superior support that JICA extends when they commit, adding, “The testimony can be seen in the elegance of the Source of the Nile Bridge in Jinja or the almost complete Flyover at Clocktower, among others. That depth of technical knowledge & expertise is what we have gotten this morning. As the Japanese say, ‘Akarui mirai’, we have a ‘bright future’ in the sector”.
Mr Uchiyama Takayuki, the Chief Representative JICA, said the partnership is the best way to promote Ugandan talent and also establish a platform to ease the discovery of young talent by foreign and local companies.
“Today marks the start of something great that will transcend generations to come. We thank Dr Aminah for initiating and leading this partnership. We look forward to shared success,” Uchiyama said.
The National Development Plan III under the Digital Transformation Program recognizes ICT as a fulcrum of development.
The national plan recognizes ICT as an accelerator, amplifier and augmenter of change across the economy.
According to the ICT ministry, the signing of the ROD is a deliberate effort by the Ministry to achieve its aspiration to create jobs through the promotion of BPO and Innovation and importantly; place Uganda at the forefront of the next wave of strategic technologies, support a new generation of leading BPO and Innovation companies and scale disruptive innovations to accelerate the transition to a digital economy.
Uganda has made great strengths in attracting BPO jobs into the country: 30,000 youth leave the university each year and these are English-speaking and ICT literate.
The ICT industry in the country has also grown in the last 10 years putting the country at an advantage in handling ICT jobs around the globe. It is a very good time to recharge Uganda’s efforts in the BPO and Innovation industry.
It has been reported that 77% of Uganda is under the age of 30 and its population is set to double between 2020 and 2060. The challenge of youth unemployment is already high and will continue to rise as the population grows.
Dr Zawede says the ROD signing is, therefore, timely as it allows Uganda’s BPO & Innovation practitioners to leverage the global expertise that Japan has honed over the years as a technology titan.
