Uganda to create IT agency to oversee infrastructure

The Uganda government will expand if the creation of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is approved. According to the draft IT policy currently being discussed, NITDA would foster growth and development of Uganda's IT sector and oversee all IT infrastructure development in the country.

Its creation is expected to draw criticism from those against an already large public administration system, but according to the proposal, NITDA will be funded in part by taxes levied on imported IT equipment.

The agency's responsibilities would include facilitating the opening of overseas markets for Ugandan enterprises; encouraging investment from the private sector; and designing, deploying and operating independent information infrastructure. NITDA's actions would seek to narrow the digital divide and help Ugandans compete in information societies, according to the draft.

NITDA would also be expected to plan, design and configure a scalable national information infrastructure backbone for Uganda. As mandated by the draft policy, the backbone would be based on a combination of optical fiber, satellite communications and wireless technology, achieving a minimum capacity of 2.5G bps (bits per second).

Apart from the backbone, access to national databases is essential for coordinated and informed decision-making and for efficient planning, the draft states. It, therefore, calls for both the government and the private sector to participate in the development of national databases.