OPINION

By Willis Bashaasha

One of the notable achievements of the 2016-21 political term was the creation of the Ministry of Science and Technology by H.E. the President.

In his wisdom, the President had envisaged the role of science and technology in the transformation agenda of the country.

With the creation of this ministry, a number of science-led interventions and strategies were initiated.

Come the 2021-26 term; the President, because of his passion in this sector, decided to bring the science sector closer to him so as to ensure that his vision of transforming Uganda through science, technology and Innovation (STI) isn’t lost in the usual bureaucracy of traditional public service.

He restructured the science ministry into the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat (STI-S) at State House. However, to ensure that the STI-S isn’t dogged by operational challenges, he maintained its ministerial status by putting a minister under his close supervision at its helm.

Science’s transformational footprint

World over, STI is the bedrock of solutions to everyday life.

As such, the STI-S’s ultimate goal is to stimulate the use of science, technology and innovation to solve the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment in Uganda by addressing the everyday struggles of the common man in meeting basic needs and creating wealth that will improve the citizens’ quality of life for sustainable socio-economic transformation.

For a quick perspective of the transformative power of STI, one can look at the Immigrations Department, Ministry of Transport and URSB; where the migration from manual to digital/ online processes has since reduced the period of acquisition of the Ugandan passport, driving permit and company registration respectively from several weeks and months to just a few hours or days.

The good news is that the STI-S, guided by the NRM Manifesto 2021-26, is spreading this science-led transformation across other sectors through a number of landmark projects-cum-manifesto commitments.

Pathogen economy

The Government, through the STI-S, has invested heavily in the establishment of the pathogen economy, which is essentially built on the research, development and commercialisation of vaccines and therapeutics developed from pathogens (e.g. bacteria, viruses, etc). The need for any country to develop its own vaccines clearly manifested during the COVID-19 pandemic when western powers made Africa literally grovel for vaccines which Europe decided to hoard for their own citizens. For Uganda’s case, the justification is even greater considering that we lost nearly $78m in expired COVID-19 vaccines due to late delivery by the hoarding countries.

A stronger case is even made when you recall that as a country, we got a reprieve when the Government teamed with our own Prof. Ogwang to roll out the locally made Covidex remedy which saved many Ugandans from the menacing pandemic. To forestall such traps, Uganda is already heavy on the journey to make vaccines.

According to the STI-S Manifesto Implementation Status Report of May 2023, Uganda has already developed three candidate human vaccines for respiratory tract infections; two of which have completed pre-clinical trials. In the same regard, the ticks menace may soon be history following the development of the Anti-Tick vaccine by Makerere University, which is awaiting NDA approval to start the manufacture of vaccines for clinical trials at Ngoma, Nakaseke district.

Relatedly, the first ever clinical trial of a natural therapeutic, UBV-01N which has funded by the Government under the presidential scientific initiative on epidemics (PRESIDE) has been completed by the natural chemotherapeutics research institute (NCRI).

e-mobility

STI is also already revolutionising our country’s transport systems through the E-Mobility Ecosystem that is being operationalised under the Kiira Motor Corporation (KMC).

This landmark project will, on top of increasing our GDP by 12.5% through vehicle sales by 2040, also employ about 500,000 Ugandans and cut transport-related carbon emissions by 25%.

Already, a pilot project in which a few largely electric Kayoola and Tondeka passenger buses were deployed on some routes is on; with the grand target being the production of 10,000 electric buses and 10,000 electric bikes by 2040. Most importantly, the project also aims at achieving massive import substitution through ensuring that KMC locally produces 65% of its vehicle parts by 2030 — since currently the Kayoola EV’s chassis, body and paints are sourced locally.

STI-driven agriculture

Time and again, H.E. the President has emphasised the adoption of smart agriculture which is heavy on mechanisation and “ekibaro”.

However, very crucial in the ekibaro is value addition. And cognisant of the role of technology in the value addition chain, the STI-S adopted the import substitution and export promotion strategy as a way of boosting agricultural value addition. This is through spearheading innovations in mechanisation and the food science. For instance, to support the Parish Development Model (PDM), the KMC is supporting the jua kali (informal sector) innovators to develop a 3-in-1 trike (tuku tuku) with a locally developed engine for use in mobility, power generation and irrigation in the agriculture sector. Once completed and commercialised, this innovation will enable PDM farmers everywhere to mechanise their operations, hence increasing their yield for better money.

Research is also underway into value addition for the bee industry, sweet potatoes, cassava and shea butter, among others, to develop a products such as flour, chapati, bread, baby foods, petroleum jelly and sericulture, among others.

These will then join the 22 Tooke Co-operatives through which 6440 banana framers are reaping millions by supplying matooke from which a range of banana-based products such as bread, chips, flour, among others, are made under the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID).

Aeronautics and space science

The STI-S is spearheading this programme to facilitate research, development and commercialisation of innovations in space exploration.

This will then increase the country’s capacity to observe the earth, monitor weather and the climate, map land, and explore minerals, among other things. Evident works in this regard include the PearlAfricaSat-1 satellite which was developed at the KYUSU Institute of Technology in Japan by three Ugandan graduate engineers; Edgar Mujuni, Derrick Tebusweke and Bonny Omara, which NASA launched into Low Earth Orbit on December 2, 2022. The hitherto defunct Mpoma Earth Station was also refurbished under this programme.

All the above and more programmes in the pipeline prove the President’s commitment to fulfill his vision of socio-economically transforming this country. The onus is now on every Ugandan to support these efforts while also jealously guarding what has been achieved so far. For God and my Country!

The writer is the director, Manifesto Implementation Unit, Office of the President