Govt to introduce digital transformation road map for children
The Permanent Secretary of the ICT ministry, Dr Aminah Zawedde (2nd right), hands over awards to students at Trinity College Nabbingo during the World Childrens' Day celebration on November 20, 2024. PHOTO/SHABIBAH NAKIRIGYA
What you need to know:
- The planned roadmap emphasises five key areas of focus including law enforcement to protect children.
Government has embarked on plans to introduce a digital transformation roadmap for children to create an enabling environment for youngsters to thrive in the digital space, the ICT ministry said on Wednesday.
“The ministry of ICT has been privileged to lead the digital transformation agenda together with other stakeholders to come up with digital transformation roadmap which aims at realising our digital vision 2040,” Aminah Zawedde, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary said on Wednesday, during celebrations of the World Children’s Day in Kampala.
Ms Zawedde noted that the fast-evolving tech world necessitates prioritizing a digital agenda.
According to her, the planned roadmap emphasises five key areas of focus.
“These include an enabling environment with the right laws, regulations and policies so that they can be able to manage digital transformation journey,” she said.
“We have several policies and laws. What we need now is to inforce them and I’m very happy that Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has come on board as a regulator,” she noted.
The roadmap will also look to establish digital infrastructure nationwide.
UCC Executive Director Nyombi Tembo said ICT provides children with remarkable opportunities to grow, learn, and thrive.
“Digital tools have transformed classrooms into interactive spaces and enabled students to learn beyond the confines of textbooks,” he observed.
“Let us encourage children to explore the digital world responsibly, leveraging the power of technology for education, creativity, and innovation,” he added.
Speaking at the same event, UNICEF representative to Uganda Dr Robin Nandy called for protection of fundamental rights of youngsters as the world marks 35 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“Children are not just the future; they are the present, the architects of a better world, and their voices deserve to be heard,” he emphasized.
He explained that digital connectivity is one of the six transformations that the United Nations has called for as a multiplier effect towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
UN resident coordinator in Uganda, Leonard Zulu, urged equality in observing child rights.
“This means girls and boys; children living with disabilities or HIV; the child living in a remote village in Karamoja, the slums of Kampala, or refugee settlement in West Nile are all treated equally,” he elaborated.
“We must invest in education systems that are inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the needs of all children.”
