By Felix Oketcho
Kampala: National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U), has unveiled a $3.8m (Shs13.4b) automated digital platform dubbed UGhub, that integrates all government ICT systems together.
Acting NITA-U Board Chairman, James Kyewalabye Kabajo said that the platform is meant to enable seamless sharing of data in a rational, secure, efficient and sustainable manner across all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
UGhub was the latest initiative government was undertaking in ensuring better service delivery and was developed with funding from the World Bank under the Regional Communication Infrastructure Program (RCIP).
About 13 ministries, departments and agencies have been integrated onto the new platform.
Kabajo noted that NITA had set up the right infrastructure that currently spans over 4,000km across 56 districts and connects over 1,400 Government offices.
He also said that Government had established the first tier-3 National Cloud Data Center with capacity to host all Government systems, applications and data, among others.
“The citizens can now enjoy the fruits of the infrastructure through services like UGhub that enable to receive government services without necessarily having physical contact with government offices,” Kabajo stressed.
NITA-U Executive Director, Dr Hatwib Mugasa thanked the World Bank, the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, the Pilot Government entities and the NITA-U staff that have been key in making UGhub a reality.
Dr Mugasa explained that UGhub seeks to unlock efficiency across Government agencies leading to better service delivery for citizens.
“There will be no more need for a citizen to fill out multiple documents just to get a government service or make multiple visits to an office to follow up a service request,” said Mugasa.
Collin Babirukamu, the Director of E-Government Services at NITA-U, noted that UGhub is one of the most strategic and important government-wide digital projects that will be the backbone for service delivery and will also make life easier for the citizens.
He noted: “To date, systems and applications from over 13 pilot government Ministries have been integrated onto UGhub. This is in addition to most banks and financial institutions.”
Julius Torach, the Commissioner for Information Technology at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance reaffirmed Government’s commitment to transform citizens’ lives by deepening access to all services through harnessing the power of Information Technology.
