In the first cohort of digital skills training from the Busoga sub-region, the Huawei DigiTruck project qualified over 600 Ugandans, and the festivities to wrap up the first cohort trainings of the region were conducted at the Kamuli Youth Center in the Kamuli district. With the tagline “A Better You for a Better Uganda,” Huawei Uganda has been able to “leave no one behind” as a global provider of ICT solutions by imparting fundamental ICT skills to as many youth, women, and Jua-kalis as possible, enhancing their business functionality and helping them understand how to use ICTs in daily life. This has been made possible by Huawei’s current CSR project, the Digitruck Project, in partnership with the Government of Uganda.
H.E. Maj (rtd) Jessica Alupo presided over the event in a formal capacity. First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, H.E. Zhang Li Zhong, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Uganda, Representative on behalf of Hon. Amongi Betty, Minister of Gender, Labor and Social Development, and Representative on behalf of Hon. Raphael Magyezi, Minister for Local Government, were present. Delegations from the Busoga Consortium for Development, Huawei Technologies Uganda Co. Limited, and other political and religious leaders from the Busoga sub-region also attended the event.
At the outset of her remarks, Uganda’s Vice President, H.E. Jessica Alupo, commended the first cohort of participants who had successfully finished their basic ICT skills training under the Huawei Digitruck project. Huawei digitruck initiatives are thus a wonderful accelerator for Busoga Consortium for Development (BCD) projects and aims, adds H.E. Jessica Alupo. Therefore, I am adamant that the BCD and Huawei digi truck programs would significantly boost local grassroots coordination of government initiatives, such as the Parish Development Model (PDM).H.E. Vice President of Uganda praised H.E. Zhang Lizhong, the PRC Ambassador to Uganda, for advancing efforts to encourage businesses like Huawei to set up shop in Uganda and for fostering closer ties between China and Uganda. The BCD’s patron, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, all ministers and MPs from the Busoga sub-region, members of the BCD, and foreign organizations like Huawei were all praised by H.E. Jessica Alupo for their contributions to the sub-region.
“I would like to welcome Huawei to Busoga and take the pleasure to thank you for the ICT trainings to our people in the informal sector,” said Rt. Hon. Kadaga Rebecca, Uganda’s first deputy prime minister and minister of East Africa Community Affairs. Comparing the Project’s flexibility to a fixed classroom training structure, a greater community reach is possible.
Additionally, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga thanked Amb. Zhang Li Zhong for responding to H.E. the Vice President’s appeal for Busoga friends, who are also anticipated to be drawn as a strategic partner in the initiative to promote Busoga. “In terms of education, I wish to see all the kids who benefited from this project continuing ICT as a major to higher levels of education,” said the first deputy prime minister. As leaders in Busoga, we will continue collaborating with Your Excellency the Vice President, the Ugandan government, and our Chinese friends to promote education, understanding how it may have an impact on community transformation.
The ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Uganda, H.E. Zhang Li Zhong, commended the government of Uganda for fostering an environment that allowed foreign investors, such as Huawei, to collaborate and contribute to the social and economic transformation of Uganda, particularly in the infrastructure, ICT, and educational sectors. “China is willing to share its experiences with the government and the people of Uganda the opportunities, ideas, and solutions provided by Chinese modernization,” continued H.E. Zhang Lizhong.
The Digitruck project has so far trained and skilled over 1,200 Ugandans from the informal sector (Jua-kalis), including women, youth, and PWDs, as well as students in digital literacy, according to remarks made by the minister of gender, labor, and social development, Hon. Amongi Betty, through a representative. On behalf of the ministry, the Hon. Amongi pledges to establish an environment that is supportive of project implementation, raise public awareness, and assist local communities in organizing for greater participation in digital learning opportunities. Hon. Amongi finished by expressing her gratitude to Huawei Technologies Uganda Co. Ltd. and the Republic of China for their crucial assistance in realizing this project.
Through a representative, the Minister of Local Government, Hon. Magyezi Raphael, congratulated the recipients of the Huawei ICT Digitruck project and lauded Huawei’s collaborators, including the Busoga Consortium for Development under the direction of the Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga. The consortium initiative, according to Hon. Magyezi, “is seen by my ministry as a vehicle for mobilizing the population towards the ownership and implementation of the Parish Development Model,” he states in his speech.
In his speech, Mr. Xie Qiuxiang, the managing director of Huawei Uganda, emphasized the company’s vision and mission to have an intelligently connected world. In keeping with the company’s slogan, “A Better U for a Better Uganda,” the company has already implemented a number of CSR initiatives in Uganda to advance ICT because Huawei is a leading global provider of ICT solutions, such as the Digitruck Project, ICT Academy, Seeds for the Future, and ICT competitions.We work together with the government of Uganda to follow their standards and make sure that no one is left out of ICT use, even in the country’s most remote regions. In his closing remarks, he extends his congratulations to the recipients and says, “The DigiTruck project is not only a demonstration of Huawei’s commitment to social responsibility and inclusion, but I trust it is also a testament to Uganda’s potential for digital transformation and innovation.”
Before moving on to Northern Uganda, the project has already covered the following districts: Kampala Central, Jinja, Namutumba, Mayuge, Iganga, Luuka, Namanyago, and Kamuli. It is important to note that the DigiTruck initiative, which H.E. Yoweri Museveni previously unveiled on March 8, 2023, would cover all four regions of Uganda. Huawei, the Ministry of Labor, Gender and Social Development, and the Busoga Consortium for Development organized the initiative in the Busoga sub-region together.
