Ministers dodge ICT training

Sep 24, 2012

The Prime Minister, Amama Mbabazi, has blasted ministers over poor time management.

By Francis Emorut

The Prime Minister, Amama Mbabazi, has blasted ministers over poor time management.

Mbabazi was irked when he opened the Information Communication Technology sensitisation and training workshop for ministers with only five out of 74 in attendance.

“I must express my disappointment with the ministers. How can you be a leader when you are late for the meeting?” Mbabazi wondered as he checked his watch at 10:30am.

The meeting was scheduled for 9:00am as the official opening. Mbabazi went ahead and made his remarks with only five ministers present.

Deputy Prime Minister and minister of Public Service Henry Kajura, ICT state minister Nyombi Tembo, ethics minister the Rev. Fr. Simon Lodoko, water and environment minister Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu and the state minister for education, Chrysostom Muyingo were the only ones in attendance.

“Leaders must lead by example. Most ministers are not here today because they are ignorant. We must find a way of bringing them on board and they must change their method of work,” a visibly irritated premier added.

He said ministers, permanent secretaries and ICT officers from the Uganda Communication Commission and the Uganda National Information Technology Authority should move fast if the country is to realise industrial status.

“It is imperative we run like Kiprotich (Olympic gold-medalist and Jamaican Usain Bolt if we are to move from the pre-industrial to industrial,” he said.

The ICT minister, Ruhakana Rugunda, informed the audience that the ICT sector in the country was growing and it employs over 1,000 people.

Rugunda said the Government will roll out the analogue digital migration by the end of the year.

He added that the implementation of digital migration will start with Wakiso, Kampala, Mukono, Jinja, Entebbe and Masaka districts.

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