Topics & Events

JICA Uganda in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology and National Guidance (MoICT & NG) held a week-long (29 January to 4 February, 2023) ICT Business tour for a delegation of renowned Japanese ICT companies, with the purpose of understanding the ICT ecosystem, attracting investment and finding potential companies for collaboration, among other objectives.

The ICT business tour was born out of the signing of record of discussion (RD) of "ICT Industry Promotion project" by MoICT & NG and JICA, in November 2022 that is meant to strengthen private-sector collaboration in ICT offshore development projects and build capacity of Ugandan engineers. The business tour, according to the JICA Uganda Chief Representative Mr. Inoue Yoichi, is an important aspect for the ICT promotion project that will be implemented in the first half of this year.

(Left) Permanent Secretary, MoICT& NG Dr. Aminah Zawedde, and (R) Mr. Inoue Yoichi, JICA Uganda Chief Representative.

Additionally, as stated by the Permanent Secretary, MoICT& NG Dr. Aminah Zawedde, "the tour is a fraction of the wider engagement with key partners that are intended towards uplifting government's ability to deliver services to Ugandans as envisioned in the Digital Uganda Vision".

Activities

Japanese companies; Japan AI Consulting, T-ICU Co. Ltd, Fellow System Co. Ltd, Dive Into Code Corporation, Freude Gizmo and Fvital Inc. then visited tech startups at the National ICT Innovation hub to get a glimpse of their works. Here, the Principal of the Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology (UICT) Dr. Fredrick Edward Kitoogo encouraged investors to extend to other parts of Uganda and not concentrate in the central region.

This was followed by a series of pitches from Ugandan tech-startups such as Rocket health, Mscan, Prisms, Patasente and Chap Chap, at the Innovation Village. The pitches and networking have laid a foundation for opportunities for collaboration between Ugandan and Japanese ICT businesses, especially ICT related human resource development and enterprise competitiveness.

Also, Ugandan ICT Companies including IICS Technologies, Kanzu Code, Emvigo, and Service Cops Ltd Concepts participated in the pitching at Hive Colab on Day 3. These face-to-face discussions by the Ugandan and Japanese ICT companies and the government, about potential, needs of the ICT industry and its challenges, are chances for fostering collaboration and available opportunities businesses can leverage in the ICT and developer landscape.

The Japanese business people got a chance to interact with the State Minister of ICT Hon. Joyce Ssebugwawo as well as that for National Guidance Hon. Kabbyanga Godfrey.

In his closing remarks, the Minister of ICT& NG Dr. Hon. Chris Baryomunsi extended his gratitude to the Japanese companies and urged them to be Ambassadors for Uganda. "We want you to spread the gospel when you head back to Japan so that we can have more and more collaborations in the ICT sector".

The Minister of ICT& NG Dr. Hon. Chris Baryomunsi

In the end, the participants of the ICT business tour came to a consensus that there's need to create avenues for co-creation between Ugandan and Japanese ecosystems, through jointly developing ICT solutions and products, and leveraging the diversity and strength of both markets.