The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance Vincent Bagiire Waiswa has urged Ugandan innovators to develop systems that are tailored to government needs if they are to benefit from the National ICT Initiatives Support Programme (NIISP), a project that was rolled out in 2017 to facilitate the creation of an ICT Innovation ecosystem and marketplace for Ugandan innovative digital products.
The Permanent Secretary made the call during the recently concluded Kampala Innovation Week that was hosted at The Innovation Village in Ntinda, Kampala.
At the event, which attracted speakers from several technology companies and venture capitalists, Vincent Bagiire clarified on a number of things that are affecting and, according to him, slowing down the development of the innovation space in the country.
Kicking off his speech, Bagiire told the gathering that the government was ready to take advantage of the rapidly growing tech space since, as he acknowledged, at the moment, tech companies “make the most in terms of money” across the world and they generate lots of revenue to their respective governments.
“We have the opportunity to innovate first and foremost for our local market. Most of the systems and equipment we use in government are imported, implying there is potential market for our local innovation,” he said.
“[Those innovating have] an opportunity to develop systems that government can adopt. And these systems, if well developed, would indeed adhere to the local needs of our country; what we do is use a system and one size fits all…”
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Innovation hubs must collaborate
Vincent Bagiire also applauded innovations hubs that were exhibiting collaboration, urging them to continue working together since it was the only way government would be able to support them. At the event, hosted by the Innovation Village, there were also representatives from Outbox, Andela and Tech Buzz.
“Our view is that when we collaborate, we shall tap into each other’s skills. For us to work with the innovation hubs, you must collaborate because the government is not in the business of competition; we’ve nothing to compete for — we’re government anyway,” he said.
“We need the innovation hubs to be able to work together for a common agenda so that we can fertilize the ideas across the innovation hubs,” he added.
“Why is it important? There could be a team here working on a health system and my colleague, the Permanent Secretary of the Health ministry wants a health system. It makes sense that all of you who are working on health in the different hubs sit together and see if you can develop this unified solution that government can then adopt and probably support, buy into it and eventually ensure that there is sustainability beyond a smaller idea that you have. That’s where we come in as the government; to work with you and also define in a systematic manner what the sectors may want.”
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Bagiire gave an example of multiple health applications that have been developed with the purpose of supporting the health sector, but they might not have ever interacted with the health ministry to find out what could be “the core needs” at the moment.
Against that backdrop, he rallied startups to always “please come to us” when they have “an idea and you feel you need government support.”
The government is also about to open a Shs5 billion innovation hub, which he says will be another ground for supporting innovators. The hub will have a 300-seater conference hall, 500-seater innovation rooms and seven cubicles for innovators. It will also have facilities for people with disabilities, according to officials.
The Nakawa Centre is one of the five hubs that the government intends to construct countrywide to facilitate the development of ICT in the country.
Bagiire assured innovators that it those with products that are ready to solve immediate problems that will be supported first.
“… but what we are reluctant to do is to know that there are 30 innovators who are here and therefore because there is money we should divide that money and everybody gets an equal share. No. Because amongst yourselves there are teams that put in a lot of effort and indeed make products that are market ready. Now, when you get a product like that one it would be supported in a different manner,” he emphasized.
“If a particular government agency says we want that product, as a ministry we shall support it for a period of time so that it is adopted by the ministry where it is going so that going forward that ministry can budget a plan and pay for a system that you’ve developed.”
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