Uganda, JICA sign agreement to promote ICT & jobs creation for youths
Uchiyama Takayuki, the Chief Representative of 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.
The Ministry of ICT & National Guidance has signed a Record of Discussions (ROD) with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to strengthen the ICT ecosystem and accelerate the creation of jobs for Ugandan Youth.
A Record of Discussion is an agreement document between JICA and a counterpart institution in a host country on an objective of a technical cooperation project, an activity, a schedule of activity and mutual undertakings.
The Record of Discussions signed will indicate Uganda’s access to one of the world’s most digitized nations, Japan, and its advanced technology knowledge, market and platforms.
Signing the Record of Discussions on behalf of Uganda, Dr Aminah Zawedde, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance, said the ROD will deliver on the Framework for creating an enabling environment to support ICT acceleration and a digital skilling program to strengthen Uganda’s global competitiveness.
She explained that the ROD will deliver on business matchmaking between Ugandan companies and global ICT firms to create business opportunities for Ugandan companies and create an ICT entrepreneurship program.
Dr Zawedde said they are determined to create an environment that nourishes ICT-centric innovation and generates new job opportunities for our young people.
“We have seen the quality of superior support that JICA extends when they commit; the testimony can be seen in the elegance of the Source of the Nile Bridge in Jinja or the almost complete Flyover at Clock tower 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,” Zawedde added.
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. There exists a challenge of youth unemployment which is already high and will continue to rise as the population grows.
Dr Zawedde continued to say that the ROD signing is timely, as it allows Uganda’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) & innovation practitioners to leverage the global expertise that Japan has honed over the years as a technology titan.
Uchiyama Takayuki, the Chief Representative of 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 & leading this partnership, we look forward to sharing success,” Uchiyama added.
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.
The signing of the ROD is a deliberate effort by the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance to achieve its aspiration to create jobs, through the promotion of BPO and Innovation as well as place Uganda at the forefront of the next wave of strategic technologies.
It will also support a new generation of leading BPO & Innovation companies and scale disruptive innovations to accelerate the transition to a digital economy.
