Telecoms tasked to address basic IT challenges

Telecom companies race to boost their own business and create awareness in ICT usage, the need to address the basic digital challenges through skills training, academicians have observed.
They said accessibility to affordable devices such as phones and laptops for learners and communities remain a challenge and yet financial transactions, among others, are being digitised.
“Leading telecom companies should help tackle the network access and IT devices gap. One of the best ways to spread digital inclusion is having cheaper internet that is accessible. We are glad that Huawei, a leading global telecom, is patterning with academic institutions and is addressing some of the challenges,” said Dr Frederick Kakembo, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Ndejje University.
He said whereas communities have food, water and health services as part of the leading basics, many of the transactions for these services are now digitised.
“The communities use mobile money among many of the IT based transactions. This is the reason why we need to invest more in IT training. We are glad that leading telecom companies are patterning with institutions to bridge the ICT gap,” he said at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Huawei and Ndejje University to enhance ICT training for students and Communities in Luweero District on Tuesday.
Mr Gao Jean, the deputy director of Huawei Technologies in Uganda, said:“Our target is to ensure that IT is enhanced for not only the learning institutions but also felt in communities where we operate. We now have 18 IT academies in Uganda and believe that the training that we give trickles down to the communities,” he said on Tuesday.
In 2017, Huawei and Uganda signed an MOU to bridge the IT gaps through  training and skilling learners .
Huawei, according to Mr Allan Kyobe, the telecom’s spokesperson, will support 17 students to travel to China on Sunday, May 14, for an IT based programme and competition.