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| Hon. Aggrey Awori, Uganda's ICT Mininster |
Ensuring environmental sustainability, Reducing child mortality, Halve between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day and Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases were among the eight goals adopted at the UN summit for Millennium Development Goals in September 2000. With just about four years left, Uganda could be caught in a rush to achieve the MDGs. In the year 2010, a ban on the importation of used electronic equipment was effected by the Ugandan government. The ban stirred alot of debate on several public forums and communities like iNetwork Uganda which is an ICT for Development forum. Many argued that the ban was too premature and that there were better ways of dealing with waste management and environmental sustainability. The ban came at a time when the student to computer ratio in schools is still high, with some rural schools having a dozen computers being shared by all the classes and staff members. This ban also contradicts target 18 Goal 8 of the MDGs, which aimed at making available benefits of new technologies especially ICTs and have more people access personal computers. It is important to note that Uganda is a developing country and levels of poverty are still very high among the communities. We should also have it in mind that even a computer that has been used for only one day is already second hand, but is it in such a condition that one cannot use it?. Many families are struggling to get basic essentials of life and for such a family, equipments like computers may seem like a luxury they cannot afford. When the government goes ahead to effect such a ban on importation of used electronic equipments then it becomes almost impossible for such people to own a computer. As for now, petitioners against this law can only watch and pray that the president intervenes.
