In a move to place digital transformation and innovation at the centre of Uganda’s national agenda, the Ministry of Information, Science and Technology and National Guidance (MoICT&NG) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft East Africa.
The agreement will create a framework for successful collaboration between the Parties to create sustainable, scalable projects and initiatives which will leverage the usage of Microsoft technologies and expertise to transform Uganda’s ICT innovation landscape for socio-economic development.
Through a systematic and sustainable holistic approach, contributions from both parties will address needs closely linked to government priorities. These include supporting the development of next generation applications, building technical expertise to spur innovation through the Microsoft AppFactory program, supporting the growth of entrepreneurship through access to the necessary tools and supporting the commercialisation of intellectual property through developing an online Internet Protocol (IP) registration prototype for the region.
“We’ve committed to provide technical support to the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance in equipping the government innovation hubs with the necessary tools and skills that will harness a 21st century developer ecosystem in the region and by developing technical excellence Uganda will be well poised to develop next generation applications. Initiatives such as our Partner Skills Hub as well as identifying the correct AppFactory model will be key in rolling this out,” Sebuh Haileleul – Country Manager, Microsoft East Africa is quoted in a statement sent to The Nile Wires.
Further to this, adding to its contributions, Microsoft will also partner with academic institutions in Uganda to provide content and software that will prepare students for the jobs of the future.
“We recognise that in today’s ever-changing environment, successful implementation of initiatives requires additional support from government departments and partners alike. As an established leader in productivity and platform technology, it makes sense to partner with Microsoft as we share common goals for empowering organisations and individuals in Uganda through access to technology – ultimately making Uganda’s ‘Vision 2040’ a reality” says Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Uganda.
Towards the MOU, the Ministry will contribute adequate resources such as personnel for pilot programs, proofs of concept and subsequent projects in order to achieve the outlined initiatives.
“We look forward to working with the Ministry through the identified collaboration initiatives. We hope to continue to nurture and develop a society fully equipped to create and execute innovation,” concludes Haileleul.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.