The launch which was presided over by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Aminah Zawedde on Friday, 3rd May, 2024 at Muni University main campus in Arua city was attended by ICT Innovators from the West Nile region.
"Following a request for support through the National ICT Support Initiative Program- NIISP to establish an innovation ICT hub to accelerate the growth of the ICT eco-system in Uganda, Muni University through the Business Incubation Centre entered into a memorandum of Understanding which was graced with initial funding worth Ugx 250 Million", remarked the Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Anguma Simon Katrini.
Dr. Aminah Zawedde said the Ministry is now focusing on infrastructure; setting up connectivity, hubs, data centers, computer labs and making sure that people have equipment such as computers and other affordable devices to support digital transformation.
Prof. Robert Kajobe, the Director Graduate Training, Research and Innovation hinted that Muni University is just a host of the regional hub which is going to help in addressing the problems entrepreneurs face such as DevOps, expertise gaps, meeting/training venue, work spaces, fast internet connectivity and cloud storage system among others.
The need for a regional ICT innovation hub stemmed from the challenges faced by West Nile entrepreneurs in accessing critical resources, getting guidance and internship required as they expand their businesses.
Dr. Noah Musa who is a Member of Parliament representing Koboko North County appealed to the government of Uganda to consider reducing taxes on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices.