Government ministries to be connected by integrated system

July 11, 2017 in Policy, Technology & Telecoms by Editor

July 11—All government institutions will soon be connected to an integrated electronic system that will enable public officials to share information leading to more effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery.

“We want a Ugandan or a foreign investor who is looking for information or wanting to apply for any papers to be able to do it on a computer without having to move from one place to place. We are going to build a system where all ministries and all government agencies like Kampala Capital City Authority, Judiciary, Immigration, Lands, NEMA, Uganda National Bureau of Standards  Police, Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority,  NDA, Uganda Registration Services Bureau and any other, to share information so that if a customer visits one agency, he has visited all,” Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda said during a recent meeting with line ministers and other top government officials.

He said such a system will stimulate the competitiveness of the Ugandan’s economy in the global market as well as improve on the ease of doing business in the country.

The Premier said, ‘Making the economy more competitive is a common good. It helps everyone in the long run by eliminating corruption, bureaucracy and procurement problems that keep undermining Uganda in the eyes of the other global economies. We will be able to attract more investors who will create jobs and employ many Ugandans who will them contribute to the tax base that will be used to develop the economy. I ask all Ugandans to take personal responsibility to report corruption tendencies because this concerns us all.”

The permanent secretary in the ICT ministry, Vincent Bagiire Waiswa said the government is ready for this kind of system because the internet structure to support it is now in place.

“Internet costs have reduced from $300 to $190 dollars. We are working on making it even cheaper. This will make it possible for all government agencies as well as the general public to use this system to carry out their businesses using the internet,” Bagiire said.