National Information Technology Authority – Uganda (NITA-U) with partners have organized a two day egovernment exhibition that will showcase various services under one roof.
This great event that brings about 50 government agencies together will take place at the Garden City Mall parking on Thursday 20th June 2019 & Friday 21st June 2019 starting at 8: am to 6pm.
According to Ms. Ndagano Angela, the NITA-Uganda cooperate communications officer stated revealed that its an opportunity for Ugandans to access experience fast, convenient and efficient service delivery.
“Entrance is free. There will also be free MyUG wifi. Come try out and learn real online Government at the eGovernment exhibition where over 50 Government entities will show case their various online services at the very first eGovernment exhibition.” She noted.
The exhibitors include government agencies, private sector, development partners, utility service providers, academia, innovators that have done a great job in developing different digital platforms to improve service delivery in the Pearl of Africa and beyond.
It should be noted that NITA-Uganda last month launched the E-Government Excellence Awards that are aimed at recognizing the various Government agencies that have played a remarkable role in availing online government services to the public, Themed “Bold Digital Government: Unlocking Service Delivery”.
The month long celebration of eGovernment will culminate with an eGovernment conference followed by a glamorous awards ceremonyslated for 28th June, 2019.
The following are the award categories that the Government agencies will compete for:
| Sector | Award Category |
| Justice, Law and Order | Best eService |
| Health | Best eService |
| Agriculture | Best eService |
| Education | Best eService |
| Accountability | Best eService |
| Citizens’ Choice | Best eService |
| Chief Information Officer (CIO) | CIO Of The Year |
Global firm, Ernst Young, have partnered with NITA-U to ensure that there is a high caliber of adjudication and quality assurance, thereby delivering a credible and reputable vetting process.
Speaking at the launch, NITA-U Executive Director, James Saaka, said:“The main objective of the awards is to share experiences with various Government entities across the country with a vision of innovative administration, access to information and enhanced service delivery through the application of e-Government.”
“The environment is ripe for the Government to have an expanded online presence. Citizens can now access information easier with more than 70% of Ugandans having mobile phones, 98% of Government offices having fully functional websites; 319 government applications are up and running. 81 e-Government services are now accessible through the e-citizens portal www.ecitizen.go.ug. The National Backbone infrastructure stretches over 3000 Kilometers across 60 towns, connecting 415 government offices’’, Saaka added.
The awards will be preceded by a four week campaign which will focus on sensitizing the Government, public and private sectors on the critical role ICTs play in transforming service delivery, job creation and accelerating socio-economic development. The campaign will include an exhibition dubbed the “the e-government expo that will provide an opportunity for Government ministries departments and agencies to showcase Government online services. The expo will also attract innovators, academia, Fintech, academia to showcase their prospects for digital governance.
“It’s time to appreciate and recognize performing entities but as well motivate those entities that are not yet in this digital space” Saaka noted
Speaking at the event, Peter Kahiigi, Director e-Government services said; “According to the United Nations e-Government survey 2018, Uganda’s online service index improved from 50% in 2016 to 57% in 2018 which puts the country in the high online service index bracket. The survey also indicated that Uganda’s e-Government development index (EGDI) improved from 36% in 2016 to 41% in 2018, which is above the African average of 34%. Uganda is currently ranked number one in Africa in cyber security by the global national cyber security index.
“This highlights the positive headway made in our collective effort to digitize Uganda. Our aim is to continue enabling the lives of Ugandan citizens by demystifying the concept of the use of ICT through the provision of reliable and consistent online government services. These awards will recognize the strides made in that journey”
Huawei Uganda, Executive director Liu Jiawei affirmed Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd’s commitment to supporting Ugandans bring services online.
“Huawei fully appreciates the role ICT plays in developing countries and we are always eager to promote activities that can transform service delivery through the use of ICTs. That is why we partnered with NITA-Uganda on this”
