Uganda’s ICT leap gets region’s nod
Aug 24, 2008
THE developed world took close to a 100 years to attain their current technological advance in communication, Uganda has simply realised a huge leap and caught up in telecommunications technologies.<br>This realisation is quickly drawing the attention of many African countries who also want to join
By Davis Weddi
THE developed world took close to a 100 years to attain their current technological advance in communication, Uganda has simply realised a huge leap and caught up in telecommunications technologies.
This realisation is quickly drawing the attention of many African countries who also want to join the queue.
Since January, the ICT ministry has hosted about 100 foreign visitors seeking to learn from Uganda’s experience.
It is this technology that is enabling speedy national development as well as economic enhancement of people’s lives.
Criminal minds in technology are enjoying the times because there are currently no strong laws in Uganda.
Every month, Uganda receives foreign guests coming to see the communication technologies. The technologies have put Uganda in a position ahead of other countries in Africa to implement operational Electornic (e)-government tools.
Uganda being one of the only three African countries with an ICT ministry is also leading its East African neighbours in formulating necessary cyber laws to manage Information and Communications technologies. Other African countries with an ICT ministry (by June 2008) are Namibia and Mauritius.
Since last year, delegations have come to see the technology which for the record, can enable President Yoweri Museveni to make a video-call and participate in any ministry’s board meeting.
Actually, various ministers can hold meetings right from the comfort of their offices and view the other ministers in their offices.
But such technologies have implications on every Ugandan. Since 2003, a process started to create laws that will be used to govern and manage the ICT sector.
Today three bills await tabling in Parliament: Electronic Transactions Bill, Electronic Signatures Bill and Computer Misuse Bill. If passed, these will become Uganda’s cyber laws.
It is one thing to have these laws, but it will be another thing to enact them. Dr. Ham Mulira ICT Minister says, “We need the legal-techno-power, there is need to create awareness within the legal side.â€
Mulira wants institutions of higher learning to train students capable of dealing with cyber-crime.
The draft of these upcoming laws states: Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) are technologies that provide an enabling environment for physical infrastructure and services development of applications for the generation, processing, storing disseminating and transmission of information.
These include Communication Technologies (CTs) for example telephones and wireless satellite and the Information Technologies (IT) which include Computer hardware, software, applications and data structures.
The draft further explains that: The convergence of technologies in telecommunications, broadcasting and computers has created a new market place with a two-way flow of information involving the processing and transmission of data, including text, sound and video in diverse activities including electronic trading of goods and services.
Online delivery of digital content includes, electronic fund transfers, electronic share trading, electronic bills of lading, commercial auctions, collaborative design and engineering, online sourcing, public procurement, direct consumer marketing and after-sale service.
The draft bills have tried to explain and demystify the jargon-shrouded cyber-world. Each of the three bills clearly defines its boundaries.
The draft Electronic Transactions Bill defines “Electronic Transaction†as a transaction of either commercial or non–commercial electronic communication by means of data messages.
Under the draft Electronic Signatures Bill, there are two aspects explained namely the Digital signature and the Electronic signature.
The Digital signature is a transformation of a message using a wireless medium such that a person having the initial message can accurately determine: whether the transformation was created using the private key that corresponds to the signer’s medium; and whether the message has been altered since the transformation was made.
The Electronic Signature is data in electronic form.
The bill clarifies that the philosophy behind the Electronic Signatures Bill shall recognise the technology of digital signatures as a secure one.
For those who misuse computers, there is the bill on Computer misuse which if made law, will stop their activities. If the law is enacted as is, offenders will be in trouble. Those who like pornography should get ready to defend their desires.
The draft defines computer misuse as unauthorised access to private computers and network systems.
Deliberate corruption or destruction of other people’s data, disrupting the network of others; as well as the creation and forwarding of defamatory material, infringement of copyright and the transmission of unsolicited advertising or other material to outside organisations.
The definition of “Computer Misuse†includes the ‘downloading, displaying, viewing and manipulation of offensive or obscene material’.
This would include pornography or scenes of violence. In extreme cases it may include the criminal act of downloading or displaying indecent photographs of children.
The draft of this computer misuse bill in part states that: Computer crime has an obvious international dimension, owing to the Internet which connects computers across the globe. It is, therefore, necessary to ensure that legal protection is harmonised internationally.…
The common denominator in these methods is obtaining access to a computer without the requisite authority and this is the basis for the jurisdiction of making the act of unauthorised access of a computer an offence.
THE developed world took close to a 100 years to attain their current technological advance in communication, Uganda has simply realised a huge leap and caught up in telecommunications technologies.
This realisation is quickly drawing the attention of many African countries who also want to join the queue.
Since January, the ICT ministry has hosted about 100 foreign visitors seeking to learn from Uganda’s experience.
It is this technology that is enabling speedy national development as well as economic enhancement of people’s lives.
Criminal minds in technology are enjoying the times because there are currently no strong laws in Uganda.
Every month, Uganda receives foreign guests coming to see the communication technologies. The technologies have put Uganda in a position ahead of other countries in Africa to implement operational Electornic (e)-government tools.
Uganda being one of the only three African countries with an ICT ministry is also leading its East African neighbours in formulating necessary cyber laws to manage Information and Communications technologies. Other African countries with an ICT ministry (by June 2008) are Namibia and Mauritius.
Since last year, delegations have come to see the technology which for the record, can enable President Yoweri Museveni to make a video-call and participate in any ministry’s board meeting.
Actually, various ministers can hold meetings right from the comfort of their offices and view the other ministers in their offices.
But such technologies have implications on every Ugandan. Since 2003, a process started to create laws that will be used to govern and manage the ICT sector.
Today three bills await tabling in Parliament: Electronic Transactions Bill, Electronic Signatures Bill and Computer Misuse Bill. If passed, these will become Uganda’s cyber laws.
It is one thing to have these laws, but it will be another thing to enact them. Dr. Ham Mulira ICT Minister says, “We need the legal-techno-power, there is need to create awareness within the legal side.â€
Mulira wants institutions of higher learning to train students capable of dealing with cyber-crime.
The draft of these upcoming laws states: Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) are technologies that provide an enabling environment for physical infrastructure and services development of applications for the generation, processing, storing disseminating and transmission of information.
These include Communication Technologies (CTs) for example telephones and wireless satellite and the Information Technologies (IT) which include Computer hardware, software, applications and data structures.
The draft further explains that: The convergence of technologies in telecommunications, broadcasting and computers has created a new market place with a two-way flow of information involving the processing and transmission of data, including text, sound and video in diverse activities including electronic trading of goods and services.
Online delivery of digital content includes, electronic fund transfers, electronic share trading, electronic bills of lading, commercial auctions, collaborative design and engineering, online sourcing, public procurement, direct consumer marketing and after-sale service.
The draft bills have tried to explain and demystify the jargon-shrouded cyber-world. Each of the three bills clearly defines its boundaries.
The draft Electronic Transactions Bill defines “Electronic Transaction†as a transaction of either commercial or non–commercial electronic communication by means of data messages.
Under the draft Electronic Signatures Bill, there are two aspects explained namely the Digital signature and the Electronic signature.
The Digital signature is a transformation of a message using a wireless medium such that a person having the initial message can accurately determine: whether the transformation was created using the private key that corresponds to the signer’s medium; and whether the message has been altered since the transformation was made.
The Electronic Signature is data in electronic form.
The bill clarifies that the philosophy behind the Electronic Signatures Bill shall recognise the technology of digital signatures as a secure one.
For those who misuse computers, there is the bill on Computer misuse which if made law, will stop their activities. If the law is enacted as is, offenders will be in trouble. Those who like pornography should get ready to defend their desires.
The draft defines computer misuse as unauthorised access to private computers and network systems.
Deliberate corruption or destruction of other people’s data, disrupting the network of others; as well as the creation and forwarding of defamatory material, infringement of copyright and the transmission of unsolicited advertising or other material to outside organisations.
The definition of “Computer Misuse†includes the ‘downloading, displaying, viewing and manipulation of offensive or obscene material’.
This would include pornography or scenes of violence. In extreme cases it may include the criminal act of downloading or displaying indecent photographs of children.
The draft of this computer misuse bill in part states that: Computer crime has an obvious international dimension, owing to the Internet which connects computers across the globe. It is, therefore, necessary to ensure that legal protection is harmonised internationally.…
The common denominator in these methods is obtaining access to a computer without the requisite authority and this is the basis for the jurisdiction of making the act of unauthorised access of a computer an offence.