MINISTER of information and communications technology, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda has asked universities to engage in transformation which will help in solving national social-economic problems.

While launching research agenda at Makerere School of Computing and Information Technology recently, Dr. Rugunda said government had partnered with universities to deal with the challenges of improving the quality of Uganda’s population in terms of livelihoods and economic activities.

He however added that research and development projects in institutions of higher learning were carried out on a small-scale due to limited funds.

“Government is planning to mobilize funds for selected universities,” he explained.

“It will encourage industries to set up centres at university level to focus on joint projects,establish IT parks and incubators equipped with modern facilities to provide one stop shops for researchers and investors in the IT industry.”

Government recognized the four research groups of Makerere University for their efforts towards solving the social and economic challenges.

As government we derive a lot of pleasure when our institutions of higher learning are involved in innovations. It shows that they are dynamic and can help the country cope with the changes that are taking place in the world, the minister intimated.

Government also plans to partner with Makerere University to market its research projects outside the country.

Among the invented devices that were exhibited at the launch included crop disease monitor, automated microscopic diagnosis and intelligent road congestion monitor.

Dr. Joseph Nabukenya, the Dean of the school, asked government to provide more funds intended for issues affecting the country.

“The current sh390m budget cannot cater for the 20 projects we have,” she said. “The faculty pooled the funds from students’ tuitions. It wants sh500m.”

The Uganda Communications Commission has been voted the best regulator of the communications sector in East and southern Africa. The honor was awarded during the recently concluded 7th edition of the Africa Telecom People (ATP) held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast from October 5-6, 2011.

ATP is the great mass of Telecommunications in Africa. Every year, ATP personalities and instructions that left an imprint of exception in Africa. During the event, governments, telecom operators and regulators meet to consider the best solutions for a population of information technology through conferences, seminars and workshops.

Also local companies or multi nationals, nongovernmental organizations, telecoms personalities and public agencies are all part of delegates at this initiative of pan-african level, to encourage the development of technologies of the information and communication (ICT).  Awards are given on the basis of best solutions and initiatives implemented by industry players over the years.

Sevy,  the project director at Africa telecom people (ATP).

Mr Sevy said ATP aimed to award the continent for "perspicacity in the  development stakes of the continent by ICT, and focuses its vision of the African technology world  and for transparency in the participation in stimulating the African telecom chessboard "  adding that "Bringing on stage telecom professionals that emerged throughout  the year thanks to  the quality of the services, discoveries, or by their audacity , in order to contribute  to bring Africa out of its technological time-lag such is the stake of our organization.

In its judgment, the panel of judges commended on UCC for its affirmative action", nothing that UCC's good regulatory oversight  has led to significant decrease in retail prices of communication services in Uganda, Hence enabling  Ugandans to enjoy affordable and easily accessible communication services.

The other best regional winners were Agence de Regulation des Postes et Telecommunications de Republique Democratique du Congo (Central Africa) and the National Communications Authority of Ghana (West Africa). However there was no best regulator for the North African region.

UCC, who was not officially represented in Abidjan , will receive the award during the fourth coming salon Africa Com scheduled for Cape town , south Africa from November 9-10-2011. Reacting to the achievement. UCC Executive Director Mr Godfrey Mutabazi said the commission was humbled by the award.

"This ward is worthwhile given the fact that over the last decade, we have made great strides in the development of our country's communications sector.   The sector is one of the most dynamic areas of the country's economy, both as key source of growth and employment", he said.

Mr Matabazi, however tempered his remarks with a word of caution, "As we celebrate this achievement we should not rest on our laurels. The challenge for us is to scale more height with focus, enthusiasm and motivation .It's my wish that we retain the award next year and the years after.

To emerge as the best regulator for East Africa and Southern Africa, UCC had to word off stiff competition from sister regulators for the region Agence de Regulation et de Controle  des Telecommunication (ARTC) of Burundi, Botswana  Telecommunications Authority (BTA).Communications Commission  of Kenya (CCK), Information and Communications Technologies  Authority  of Mauritius (ICTAM), and Independent  Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), and Tanzania Communications Regulatory  Authority (TCRA).

Others were the Lesotho communications Authority (LCA). Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MCRA), Postal and Telecommunication and Regulatory Authority Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority (RURA), Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) ,and Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority(ZICTA).

The chair person of Uganda Communications Commission Dr Dorothy Okello was equally effusive in her praise. "This is good news and unbelievable! Without exaggeration, this is a big achievement. I don't say that lightly, and for me UCC is pure quality," Dr Okello said, enumerating the milestones UCC has achieved over the last decade.

"The public, while appreciative of work, still expect more from UCC, This calls for the need to more transparency, efficiency, hard work, innovation, fuel market growth, and protect investments in new technologies. This may sound a tall order, but I'm confident we are up to the task," she said.

The news if the award has been received with appreciation at UCC .and the general mood at UCC House is one of celebrating.
From New Vision

During the Telecom World 2011 Summit in Geneva, UN’s Commission for Digital Development showed great concern to make broadband available to half of the globe’s developing countries by 2015.

Also further stressed that internet should be accessible to 40 percent of households in the same regions. The commission is composed of executives, policy-makers, academics and government officials. It has listed four objectives that will define its strategy. Its plan was detailed in a document called The Broadband Challenge.


The Commission for Digital Development wants internet access to be affordable. It hopes that the cost would be less than 5 percent of the average monthly incomes even in the poorest regions. It wants the governments and private companies to help make this a reality.

The International Telecommunication Union or ITU said that the targets are ambitious but achievable. It would take lots of political will and commitment on the part of the governments as well as cooperation from the private sector.

The ITU is the body responsible for tracking progress in the developing countries and it would release a yearly report where each country would be ranked based on policy, cost, and access to broadband.

Today the GSMA issued preliminary findings from research undertaken into taxation. Initially focused on Africa, the research shows that mobile handset sales have soared by 200 per cent in Kenya following the government’s 2009 decision to slash the 16 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) levied on handset sales.

The research was undertaken by Deloitte for the GSMA as part of a larger global benchmarking study, the full data of which will be published later this year.

“Kenya has shown great foresight in abolishing mobile handset taxes making mobile services more affordable for the wider population, with the growth in uptake contributing significantly to the Kenyan economy,” said Gabriel Solomon, GSMA Head of Regulatory Policy.

“Mobile operators will contribute 33 per cent more in tax this year than they did prior to the handset tax slash and will contribute around 8 per cent of Kenya’s GDP this year. We call on all African governments to consider abolishing handset taxes and follow the successful example of Kenya.”

Since the Kenyan government’s abolition of the VAT on handset sales, mobile penetration has increased from 50 per cent to 70 per cent. In 2011 the mobile communications industry contributed more than KES 400 billion to the Kenyan economy. Additionally, the research indicates that in 2011 the mobile communication industry as a whole employs almost 250 000 people in Kenya.

“The report’s findings indicate that consumers, particularly in developing countries, are price sensitive and that tax cuts could boost consumption of mobile services,” said Chris Williams, Deloitte Telecoms partner.

More Decisive Action Needed

Despite the research finding that taxation on the total cost of ownership for a mobile phone in Kenya fell from 25 per cent to 17 per cent over the last five years and the abolition of VAT, mobile taxation in Kenya still remains just above the average across sub-Saharan Africa as a 10 per cent excise duty as well as VAT on airtime is still levied.

The research also found that a new type of tax is emerging in Africa: the ‘Surtax on International Inbound Call Termination’ (SIIT), which centrally fixes the prices that operators can charge when terminating international inbound calls. The SIIT distorts price competition, which has a negative impact on business and consumers.

The research found that where the SIIT has been imposed, the level of inbound international traffic has fallen and prices of outbound calls have increased due to the reciprocation of higher termination prices by operators in other African countries. The SIIT has had the following impact where it has been applied in Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Ghana and Senegal:

In Congo Brazzaville, the price of inbound traffic has risen by 111% and operators report that inbound traffic fell by 36 per cent between May 2009, when the tax was introduced, and May 2011;
In Gabon, prices rose by 82 per cent when the SIIT was imposed in August 2011;
In Senegal, prices rose by 50 per cent and operators report that the number of international call minutes terminated on its network decreased by 14 per cent in the first five months;
In Ghana, prices rose by 58 per cent and operators report a 35 per cent decrease in international call minutes terminated on its network in the month after the imposition of SIIT compared to the month prior to its introduction, and an 18% fall in call minutes in the six months after its introduction compared to the six months prior.

“The SIIT is an unfortunate and opportunistic move by some governments. The African continent is now connected to the global information economy by fibre optic cables which can herald a new wave of development but the SIIT threatens to damage this,” said Solomon.

“The mobile industry is typically one of the top tax payers in most African countries and we have seen its importance for economic development but the SIIT is one tax too many; it carries the risk of significant collateral damage and should be abolished,” said Solomon.