Congratulations, we are in space, but…
The minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Monica Musenero (centre), engineers Bonny Omara (left) and Edgar Mujuni, celebrate Uganda’s first ever satellite that was launched into space in the US on Monday. The government held a function at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds to view the exercise live. PHOTO / ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
Now I am no spoilsport and genuinely congratulate the minister, her team and the scientists on that landmark event
It is not often that our two main dailies carry nearly the same front page picture. So the picture of the month, perhaps even of the year must be that of the beaming Minister for Science and Innovation, the one and only Afro-haired Dr Monica Musenero flanked by two young Ugandan scientists celebrating the successful launch into space of our first space satellite.
Now I am no spoilsport and genuinely congratulate the minister, her team and the scientists on that landmark event. After all, space was once the playground of only Russia, the US and a handful of developed countries. But after all the backslapping has subsided we should put the whole thing into some perspective.
First, a number of African countries (40 to be exact) including Burkina Faso and Rwanda preceded us into space. So it is not like Uganda by having a satellite launched achieved some pioneering feat even for an African country. Secondly, the whole satellite thing is by and large a cut-and-paste, copycat technological deed. Not very original thinking went into the whole enterprise. Thirdly, only three Ugandan youth were occupied (not exactly employed) by the endeavor, leaving millions of others including the President’s beloved ‘scientists,’ pounding the pavements in search of jobs. So no real value added.
Fourthly, the raw materials used in the whole thing and the launch facilities were not Ugandan – so no value added there either. And finally, the last I checked, Uganda was ranked 166th out of 189 countries in the UN Human Development Index, with low scores in such indicators as mean years of schooling at 5.7! Clearly more needs doing to change the lives of people.
So what next for the minister and for our young scientists? The news is that a second space launch is in the offing, and that is alright, but I suggest more down-to-earth engagements. Here is a sample of two: how about unleashing those young minds to solving Karamoja’s perennial brush with famine? How about wiping out jiggers from Ugandan feet once and for all? When some of those things start getting solved, my and other Ugandans’ congratulations to the Ministry for Science and Innovation will be without reservations.
HGK Nyakoojo, Buziga, Kampala
