KAMPALA – The Ministry of ICT and National Guidance on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Centenary Technology Services (Cente-Tech) which will herald cooperation in creating growth opportunities for Uganda’s young population.
Technology is an essential tool for promoting competitiveness, job creation, sustainable development and overall poverty reduction. It has the potential to transform business and government – driving entrepreneurship, innovation and economic growth and breaking down distance and cost barriers in service delivery. It is in recognition of this truth that the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance has partnered with digitization experts – Cente-Tech.
Cente Tech is a subsidiary of Centenary Group. Other subsidiaries include Centenary Bank and Centenary Foundation. The group will also venture into insurance business, fund management and investment, property development and management, as well as expanding the Centenary banking brand outside of Uganda.
With a combined experience of over 75 years in the ICT industry in both the public and private sectors, Cente-Tech delivers holistic technology solutions and delivers innovations that matter to enable and inspire growth. Cente-Tech’s niche lies in ICT consulting and research; Managed services and ICT infrastructure; and ICT innovation and digital services.
The signed MoU will enable Cente-Tech to extend its expertise through ICT consultancy and consultancy services to assist the Ministry of ICT and National Orientation in developing strategies, implementing infrastructure-related services and to share Cente-Tech’s combined global and local experience and knowledge to solve some of Uganda’s challenges in the ICT sector.
It should be noted that the Centenary brand has a significantly aggregated demand and audience through intricately structured entities that include: 640 parishes, 219 institutions, 264 hospitals and 3388 schools representing a community of over 20 million Ugandans across the country. Through the MoU, this demand will be extended to the community of innovators supported by the Ministry of ICT, ensuring the sustainability of innovations in priority areas, namely; education, agriculture, health and trade.
After the signing, the Honorable Chris Baryomunsi, Minister of ICT and National Direction, said the private sector had a critical role to play in accelerating digital transformation.
According to Baryomunsi, Uganda’s economic growth must be digital driven, saying the digital economy is the recipe for job creation, drives innovation, boosts economic growth and supports long-term competitiveness in the global digital economy.
He praised Cente-Tech for enabling a path to commercialization and sustainability that young innovators can take, which in turn will create more revenue, they will create more jobs.
“Our National Development Plan 3, as part of the digital transformation agenda, highlights ICT as a linchpin of development and a key driver for social and economic development. To ensure the achievement of the aspiration of the digital transformation agenda, we recognize that investment in digital infrastructure is inevitable. The much-needed digital infrastructure and resulting digital transformation will drive rapid development across Uganda, with a positive impact on the most vulnerable communities.
“Investment does not mean that all the government does is spend billions of shillings on building infrastructure, partnerships with the private sector are investments to help the nation achieve the aspiration of social transformation and economic through the use of ICT”, he added.
He said Uganda cannot become the engine of innovation in Africa if all it can afford is to take 5 young innovators to exhibitions, “we need to transform thousands of young people by offering them growth opportunities. The growth opportunity that matters is one that creates income for our young people – today we have an answer to the question of how to create income for our young innovators. »
He said the government’s partnership with Cente-Tech means the aggregate demand that Cente-Tech unlocks through the vast network of schools, hospitals, markets, parishes, universities, etc., is an opportunity for our young innovators.
“It’s a road to commercialization and sustainability that they can take – once our young people get more income, they create more jobs. As a government, these are the kinds of mutually beneficial partnerships we will always seek. Additionally, Cene-Tech’s 75 years of global ICT technical experience will go a long way in supporting us in the various ICT-led programs we undertake. This is how we work to remain the engine of innovation in Africa.
Centenary Group’s Executive Chairman, Professor Ddumba Ssentamu, said: “Deliberate participation in this joint digitization effort comes at a time when not only innovation, but also co-innovation, has become more crucial than ever.” .
“The journey to digitize our nation cannot be left to government alone and therefore makes our participation important.” “The Group and all its subsidiaries are ready to work with the government to uplift rural communities,” Professor Ddumba concluded.
Cente-Tech is committed to using technology to sustainably advance job creation, drive innovation, drive economic growth and uplift rural communities.
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