1 ICTs and Millenium Development Goals: Uganda’s Experience by Johnson Nkuuhe [email protected]@parliament.go.ug or [email protected] .

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ICTs and Millenium Development Goals: Uganda’s Experience

by

Johnson Nkuuhe

[email protected] [email protected]

www.I-network.or.ug

Slides courtesy of APC, CTO, and I-Network Uganda

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On the menu …

ICT – what, found everywhere? Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) How ICT can help in achieving 7 of 8 MDGs ICT policy formulation in Uganda Lessons from Uganda Recommendations and way forward I-Network and partnerships in EA.

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ICT is not only computers, knowledge (content) is critical

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Development through the ages: Information, wealth and power

Age Basis of wealth & power Feudal Land

Industrial ‘means of production’

Informational ‘Intellectual property’

& controlling communications

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ICTs everywhere…

Tele-Health – WebMD and AIDS awareness Local Tele-Medicine – connecting village general

practitioners to urban specialists Low-cost Customisable Hardware – e.g. Simputer Digital Money – smartcards and ATMs, smart fuel Digital Books – one eBook to replace all textbooks eMarketPlaces – entrepreneurial clusters Power Line Communications – for the last mile

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Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Millennium Summit – Sept 2000 leaders agreed to set goals to guide development in 21 century. Kofi Anan obliged.

Political will needed to invest to achieve MDGs (politicians, business leaders, CSO).

WSIS (World Summit on Information Society) has set targets for countries to achieve MDGs

Many countries are off track… on the MDGs

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Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and WSIS Targets: Kenya

The Hon John Michuki on return from WSIS declared:– 1. All 389 post offices to have Internet by 2004– 2. All primary schools to be connected by 2006– 3. All district capitals to have Internet point of presence

(POP) and ICT to reach 50% of population in rural areas

We say “ Congrats and good luck Hon JM” Civil society and business community to hold him

accountable. Fellow MPs too! Parliament committee on assurance (Uganda) Judiciary Commission of Assurance (India)

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Millennium Dev Goals(MDGs) By 2015, we [189] leaders pledge to..

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger (by ½)

Village phones (Bangladesh), Banana & charcoal sellers using mobile phones (Uganda)

2. Achive primary education

Teachers trained in ICT, ICT-based content, Schoolnet and Junior I-Network (Uganda);

3. Promote gender equity – school, society

Many NGOs use ICT, I-Network promotes affirmative action in ICT, eg computer repair workshops for female teachers

4. Reduce child mortality

Telemedicine (USA), telehealth (UG/Ke/Gh, eg Sattelife project)

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Millenium Dev Goals(MDGs) By 2015, we [189] leaders pledge to…

5. Improve maternal health

Health information system telehealth (Uganda)

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria & other diseases

Radio and other media used, openness, prevalence now 6%

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

Ug env agency uses GPS, GIS for env monitoring, Min of Lands for land surveys, land use planning.

8. Develop a global partnership for development

ICTs powerful tool for global lobbying – if you know how to use them!

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Uganda’s ICT policy design process

Key players – Council for S & T; Ministries responsible for Communication, Information; UNESCO; Makerere University, Parliament, ICT champions, ICT businesspeople, Ugandans in the Diaspora

1998 – Field survey by Min of Information. Two stakeholder workshops, draft white paper written.

1999 – Multidisciplinary National ICT Policy Task Force set up. Consulted, held 2 stakeholder workshops, produced draft document.

2000-2001 - Other studies and reports by Makerere (World Bank); Uganda Communication Commission; Perwit International (private Canadian company)

May 2002 – Council for S &T submitted Draft National ICT Policy Framework to Cabinet

Dec 2003 – Cabinet approves ICT policy, UNDP funds strategy

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President

Cabinet Sub-Committee

ICT Coordinating Agency

Donors

Enterprise Sector

Parliament

Uganda ComputerSociety

Sub-CommitteeCIOs Education Health

Agriculture

ICT coordination: Proposals: Best Practices/First Movers

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6 lessons from Uganda1. Good policies yield good

results

Service Before

LiberalisationAfter % change

Fixed lines 46,000 61,000 25

Mobiles 3,500 500,000 99

ISPs 2 9 78

Internet users

500 11,000 95

FM stations 14 150 91

TV stations 4 20 80

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2. Policy design best if participatory

Partners participate Partnership needs equity,

transparency and mutual benefit

Often Government tells partners (stakeholders) what to do. Disaster!

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3. Policy reform needs clear vision, objectives and strategies

Develop vision, objectives, strategy– Shared, realistic vision– Ugandan minister died, ICT policy

delayed 10 years! Advocacy – market policy reforms Set up institution(s)

– Fund the institution– Respect partnership

Implement Constantly review Changes are normal Most ICT projects end in failure!

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Marketing: every idea, including policy needs good salespersons

Policy Makers in Mainstreaming ICT in Governance in Uganda

A Presentation to The Committee on Works, Housing, Transport and Communication

By Johnson Nkuuhe , Kisamba Mugerwa Daniel Kakinda, Edward Mukooyo Vincent Musubire, Kakembo-Ntambi, Michael Galiwango, Samwiri

Katunguka, Lilian Tibatemwa, Nora Mulira

Parliament of Uganda, 03 May 2001

What is KIF doing?

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4. ICT policy, like all policies, have need for champions, disciples

Best if champions are influential or rich

Most ICT champions intimidate novices, or promote selfish agenda

What are you championing - Policy, strategy, plan? Roadmap? Remember: technology leapfrogs,

sociology does not. ICT before fixing corrupt procedures

could make corruption worse

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5. Expect resistance … so lobby hard!

Humans by nature resist new things.

Develop your message – accurate, timely, targeted, consistent

Know your allies, support them Know your enemies, “encircle”

them. Set realistic costed goals, not

myths or wish lists Celebrate each success,

strengthen networks, plan, plan

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6. Financing, monitoring and evaluation often neglected

Policy reforms have financial implications – beware

Develop smart monitorable indicators

Constantly monitor and review regularly

Involve stakeholders in these processes

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More lessons from Uganda- donor dependence, ambivalence about/fear of EAC

Public Sector– Listens, but with one ear, often “slow” to act.– Supports/neglects/competes with the private sector– Poor info flow, little knowledge management– The “hidden hand of corruption” under-estimated

Like AIDS, you hear, “they have it, we don’t” – denial 3.1.1 Paralysis analysis – decisions delayed, or bad ones made Bribery, embezzlement, nepotism, cronyism (do you

remember these?). Mediocre results or none. Procurement – even of paper clips is controversial! Nobody wins in this game of corruption, even the corrupt!

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More lessons from Uganda: Private & Civil Society sectors

Private Sector– Small, still growing and organising– Dominated by “VIPs” – Many see EAC (Kenya) as a threat. Not me!

Civil Society (NGO) Sector– Donor dependent & focused, – Dynamic ones tend to be women NGOs– ICT-based ones few, urban, elitist, timid.– Many are single-issue, kiosk type operations– EAC not yet on the radar screen of many! – I-Network Uganda not one of these!

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Some suggestions

Functional ports, roads, railways etc benefit all, not Kenya alone. MDG fund should support these.

Let us harmonise policies in EA – telecom, transport, trade, investment, research and development

People-people networks more important than leader-leader ones

– Individuals, companies, CSOs, academia, parliaments etc

Let us think big, not kiosk mentality, Beyond EAC I-Network ready for mutual partnership with KIF and

Kenya. We need many more such partnerships Knowledge sharing – knowledge is like smile/fertiliser

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Founded in 2001 with seed capital from IICD of Netherlands. Raises 50% of operational budget.

A knowledge sharing network. ICT seen as tools Has 7-9 building blocks

– Monthly seminar at low cost (<50 dollars) for 70+ persons– Quarterly newsletter (4, then 8, now 12 pages)– Website (www.I-network.or.ug)– Discussion list,– Advocacy and lobbying (Govt bureaucrats, Ministers,

Parliament, Donors),– Nodes – techie (biz), junior, media. Planned – CSO, Research– Special events in Kampala and upcountry – eg Retreat for

Perm Secret’s, Ministers, Parl’ment committees

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I love Uganda, at times it amazes me!I thank you, I-Network salutes you.

Johnson Nkuuhe [email protected] or

[email protected]

[email protected] but…

[email protected], [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];

[email protected]

And this is one ministry of one country! Ministry mandate – to implement the ICT policy!