scale, with limited funds. Government has not prioritized IT research. Content development
including translation of digital content to local languages is hardly done, and yet quite essential.
IT Promotion and Awareness: IT promotion and awareness creation has mainly been done in
the public sector but only to a limited capacity. As far as the private sector is concerned both
promotion and awareness creation are still lacking. Currently, information dissemination on
market prices, health tips, and information on social services is done through the Google SMS
initiative by Mobile Telephone Network (MTN) communications network and Grameen
Foundation. Business transactions platforms including mobile money transfers and Short
Messaging Service (SMS) banking are also being provided by telecommunications companies.
However, local language content to stimulate usage of IT is insufficient/ lacking.
National IT Standards and Regulations: A regulatory framework is essential to avoid violating
policy goals and direction. There is very little that has been done in regards to developing
national standards and regulation pertaining to the IT subsector. Most standards are still in draft
form and where they exist, they are not implemented.
The country does not have any comprehensive policy on managing e-waste as yet. However, in
partnership with the private sector through the support of development partners it is encouraging
retrieval of obsolete IT equipment for refurbishment.
IT Security: This is a lacking area in the county‟s IT industry. Many government MDAs and
LGs are running websites as a tool to disseminate information to the public; others have taken on
big IT projects as stated earlier. However, these have not been secured and a few cases of
security breaches like website defacing, on Government websites have been reported.
Complaints of e-mail scams, web-phishing have been very frequent from government entities
and the general public.
The Government of Uganda has liberalised the ICT sector and this has encouraged public private
partnership in fostering development. Most IT activities being carried out in Uganda are private
led, although guidance is still inadequate.
1.3 Development Context
This policy has been developed in the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
bearing in mind that IT is an enabler in implementing all the 8 MDGs. Goal number 8 - “Develop
a global partnership for development” with specific emphasis on Target 8F:” In co-operation
with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information
and communications”.
Article 19 of the UN declaration of human rights outlines the human right principles regarding to
the right to communicate. The African Unity, to which Uganda is a member, has also provided
for the right to development in the African charter on human rights. This is further emphasized in
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