By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Former ICT Minister, Nyombi Thembo has officially assumed office as the new Executive Director at Uganda Communications Commission(UCC).
Speaking after taking the offic, Nyombi Thembo commended his predecessors, Eng. Irene Kaggwa Ssewankambo and Eng. Godfrey Mutabazi, Eng. Masambu who have been at the helm of the regulatory body for over two decades.
”I want to express my deep gratitude to Eng. Irene Kaggwa for her successful stewardship of UCC over the past 3.5 years. Additionally, heartfelt thanks to Eng. Mutabazi and Eng. Masambu, whose leadership laid the foundation for UCC’s impressive 25 years of achievements” Thembo said.
“Now that the licensing regime for telecom companies obligates them to cover 90% of the geographical coverage of Uganda will help solve the problem of connectivity. Previously, telecoms have been designing their networks on population coverage but now the new licensing regime changed this,” he added.
Thembo further assured Ugandans that by 2025/26 Uganda will have 100% coverage at 3G level.
“We want to ensure meaningful connectivity and not just 2G but at least 3G network throughout the country. In regards to connectivity, I want to ensure that by 2025/26, we should be able to have 100% coverage of the country at 3G level.”
“The biggest problem is not connectivity. Even where there is connectivity, usage is still very low. What drives usage is relevant content. We should focus on content. We are looking at content very seriously as the regulator.”
“To our esteemed consumers and stakeholders, you are the driving force behind our relevance. We commit to even stronger collaboration to realize the socioeconomic transformational value of ICT.”
The new UCC Executive Director pledged to continue working with the private sector to ensure the telecom sector continues to thrive.
“ I recognize and value the private sector’s crucial role in the ICT ecosystem. We pledge not to disrupt your business models and implore you to play by the rules to ensure the delivery of quality, safe and affordable communication services to the people of Uganda.”
Thembo said he is committed to driving innovation, regulatory excellence and top- notch services for Uganda.
Nyombi Thembo was last month appointed as the substantial UCC Executive Director to replace Irene Kaggwa Ssewankambo who has been in acting capacity after the expiry of the contract of Godfrey Mutabazi in 2020.
Thembo was handed a five year contract starting today, December, 1, 2023.
