1. National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U)OVERVIEW OF THE IT SECTOR IN UGANDA AND THE ROLE OF NITA UINDUCTION RETREAT FOR MEMBERS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY SESSIONAL COMMITTEE ON ICT 11th -13th AUG 2011, LAKE VICTORIA SERENA, LWEZA

2. Outline of the presentation Overview of the IT sector Genesis of NITA U NITA –U Establishment On-going Initiatives Challenges Proposals for mitigating challenges Conclusion 8/9/2011

3. Outline of the presentation Describe point A – where we are currently Describe point B – where we want to take IT in Uganda in 3-5 years Describe the steps and actions that you want to take from point A to point B 8/9/2011

4. 1. OVER view of the IT sector Information Technology can be defined as the use of technologies to capture, store, retrieve and share information The technologies among others include but are not limited to ; Computers Facsimile Data conversion tools Systems control 8/9/2011

5. 1. OVER view of the IT sector Cont… The key players in Uganda’s IT sector can be categorized as; Policy Oversight – H.E The President, Cabinet, MoICT Legislators – Parliament MDAs and LG National Service Providers – IT infrastructure providers -Providers Broadband/Internet IT Support services – Software developers, provider of IT applications e-govt, e-commerce etc Development Partners Consumers – end users 8/9/2011

6. 2. GENESIS OF NITA U Despite revolution in the ICT sector experienced since the 1990s, the IT sub-sector has by and large remained underdeveloped. The subsector has been charaterised by; Under-developed IT infrastructure Absence of a clear vision for the development the IT sector Lack of clear strategy for the IT sector driving development of the country Lack of common standards & procedures Absence of a policy for private-public engagement in the sector The above were attributed to by lack of a specific champion for the IT subsector, and lack of separation of the policy, regulatory and implementation functions within the sector Its against the above reasons that NITA U was established 8/9/2011

7. 3. NITA U ESTABLISHMENT The National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) was established by an Act of Parliament (National Information Technology Authority, Uganda Act of 2009). The statutory mandate of NITA-U is to; Coordinate, promote and monitor Information Technology (IT) developments in Ugandawithin the context of National Social and Economic development The Vision of NITA-U: A facilitator of a knowledge-based, globally competitive Uganda where social transformation and economic development is supported through Information Technology enabled service. 8/9/2011

8. NITA U ESTABLISHMENT CONT NITA U Key objectives include : To provide high quality Information Technology Services to Government; To Promote standardization in the planning, acquisition, implementation, delivery ,support and maintenance of information Technology equipment and services, to ensure uniformity in quality, adequacy and reliability of Information Technology usage in Government and throughout Uganda; To promote cooperation, coordination and rationalization among users and providers of Information Technology at National and Local level so as to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure optimal utilization of scarce resources; and To promote and be the focal point of co-operation for Information Technology users and providers at regional and International levels; To provide access to and utilization of Information Technology by the special interest groups. . 8/9/2011

9. NITA U ESTABLISHMENT CONT NITA U key functions include To provide first-level Technical support and advice for critical Government IT Systems including managing the utilization of the resources and infrastructure for centralized Data Center facilities for large systems To identify and advise Government on all matters of Information Technology Development, utilization and deployment including systems development, Information Technology Security, training and support To co-ordinate, supervise and monitor the utilization of the Information Technology in the public and private sectors; . 8/9/2011

10. NITA U ESTABLISHMENT CONT NITA U key functions include To regulate and enforce standards for Information Technology hardware and software equipment procurement in all Government Ministries, Departments, agencies and parastatals; To create and manage the national databank, its inputs and outputs To set, monitor, and regulate standards for information Technology planning, acquisition, implementation, delivery, support, organization, sustenance, disposal, risks management, data protection, security and contingency planning; To regulate the electronic signature infrastructure and other related matters as used in the electronic transactions in Uganda; To promote and provide technical guidance for the establishment of e-Government, e-Commerce and other e-Transactions in Uganda; . 8/9/2011

11. NITA U ESTABLISHMENT CONT NITA U key functions include To provide for information management services through acting as records management facility and information repository; To provide guidance in information technology audit services to Government; To provide guidance on the establishment of an infrastructure for information sharing by Government and related stakeholders; Note : The detailed objects and functions of the Authority are respectively spelt out in section 4 and 5 of the NITA-U Act . 8/9/2011

12. NITA U ESTABLISHMENT CONT 8/9/2011 Executive Director Director Legal & Regulatory Services Director Finance & Admin. Director Technical Services Director e-Govt. Services Director Research Planning & Dev’t Director Information Security .

13. NITA U MEDIUM TERM PRIORITIES NITA-U’s the medium term priorities and focus for this Financial Year include : Operationalisation of NITA-U: Update of NITA-U Strategic Plan Effective management and operations of the authority through establishment of internal management and control procedures Provision of first level IT technical support to MDAs and LG BPO: Establishment of the Government BPO centre (300 seater) at Statistics House (3rd and 4th Floors) Establishment of the BPO incentives scheme for BPO operators in Uganda Update BPO Strategy Develop BPO standards and regulations Brand and market Uganda as a BPO destination 8/9/2011

14. NITA U MEDIUM TERM PRIORITIES Cont.. IT Infrastructure development: Conduct Forensic and Security Audits of the NBI/EGI Commercialise Phase 1 & 2 of the NBI Procure and deliver bulk internet bandwidth to MDAs and LGs over NBI Implement Phase 3 of NBI Implement Masaka – Mutukula OFC connection as alternative route to sea cables Extending fibre and last mile solutions to critical sites that will drive accelerated value creation: District Head offices, Hospitals (District and Referral), Schools and Universities, Police (posts, prioritized stations and barracks), Research institutions 8/9/2011

15. NITA U MEDIUM TERM PRIORITIES Cont.. 8/9/2011 Key Phase 1: Kampala Metroplitan Area (27 ministries), Entebbe, Jinja, Mukono and Bombo 5 transmission sites Phase 2: Luwero, Nakasongola, Masindi, Gulu, Nimule, Lira, Soroti, Kumi, Mbale, Tororo, Malaba, Busia, Hoima, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, Kasese, Bushenyi, Mbarara 17 transmission sites Datacentre for NBI infrastructure Pilot for messaging & collab. tools Phase 3: Katuna, Kabale, Ntungamo, Masaka 3 transmission sites MONUC (Entebbe) Network Operating Centre (NOC) Transmission sites

16. NITA U MEDIUM TERM PRIORITIES Cont.. E-Government: Conduct e-Government readiness survey Promoting an accelerated value creation program and usage of e-government services like: Messaging and Collaboration tools, Video conferencing, Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) , focused e-Government solutions and Smart Local Government solutions Establishment of the national databank Establishment of centraliseddata centre shared services for MDAs and LGs 8/9/2011

17. NITA U MEDIUM TERM PRIORITIES Cont.. E-Government (cont’d): Development of the e-Government architecture blueprint Development of the e-Government application and technology roadmaps Establishment of an interoperability framework for e-Government infrastructure and systems across Government Continue DBICs rollout – future e-Government kiosks 8/9/2011

18. NITA U MEDIUM TERM PRIORITIES Cont.. Regulatory environment: Establishment of National IT Standards & Regulatory Framework and Systems Operationalisation of the cyber laws and establishment of Public Key Infrastructure IT Programme Management: Establishment of a uniform and integrated framework and system for management of IT Programmes and Projects across Government. Capacity building: Strengthening IT capacity and skills development across Government Development of local IT industry capacity to support strategies and implementations to lower cost of support while creating jobs 8/9/2011

20. Messaging & collab. Tools, Video conf. , VoIP

21. Establish national databank

22. Develop e-govt architecture blueprint, appl. & tech. roadmaps

23. Develop interoperability framework

24. Develop e-govtsolutiions

25. Operationalise the cyber laws

26. Implement the Public Key Infrastructure

27. Establish the National IT standards and regulatory framework

29. Deliver bulk internet bandwidth for MDAs, LGs

30. Implement Phase 3

31. Implement last mile

32. Develop national data centre & shared services for MDAs/LG

33. Implement Masaka - MutukulaKNOW WHERE WE ARE KNOW WHERE WE WANT TO GET TO PLAN OUR STEPS MEASURE OUR PROGRESS

34. E-Govt. - For every life situation.. Criminalregister Marriage Child care Work Buying real estate Holidays Passport Moving house Voting Car Company start-up Building companies Tourism Driver's license Unemployment Removal companies University Job agencies Military or Alternative service Divorce Legal advice Apprentice-ships Pension Plan proposals Choosing a vocation Health ins. NSSF Social benefits Starting school LC Registration (?) LC Registration (?) Death ... a comprehensive range of offerings Birth

35. 5.0 Key Challenges NITA-U is challenged by a number of set-up activities and this is to be expected for any new institution. The key challenges include: The role of NITA-U is still not yet well understood by most MDAs and LG, and this therefore still requires a lot of stakeholder engagements Inadequate financing reflected by unfunded priorities High public expectation vis-a vis resources available Rapid changes in technology Resistance to change from manual to electronic-enabled systems 8/9/2011

36. 6. mitigating challenges 8/9/2011

37. 6. mitigating challenges 8/9/2011

38. 7. Conclusion NITA U acknowledges the goodwill of all its stakeholders, the Executive, Parliament ( in particular Sessional committee on ICT), MDAs and LGs, Development Partners etc We do recognize the huge expectation about NITA U and we are readying ourselves to live up to this expectation. However, we wish to draw attention of our stakeholder to the fact that NITA U is still a young institution, and that it needs to be nurtured. As we take up the mantle of driving the transformation of Uganda into a knowledge-based economy, its our humble appeal to all stakeholders to uphold the support so far offered to NITA U. Lastly, we appeal for support to ensure that we mobilize the required funding to support the programs we have set before ourselves, in order to deliver the mandate of NITA-U 8/9/2011

39. END THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY 8/9/2011