By Aggrey BabaMinister of State for ICT and National Guidance Joyce Ssebugwawo has called for a coordinated national effort to close Uganda’s digital skills gap, warning that access to mobile phones and internet connectivity alone cannot guarantee meaningful participation in the digital economy.Ssebugwawo said Uganda must move beyond counting the number of people with access to technology and focus on whether citizens can use digital tools to secure employment, grow businesses, access public services and improve their livelihoods.Addressing a stakeholder dialogue on strengthening Uganda’s digital skills ecosystem at Mestil Hotel on Wednesday, the minister outlined five priorities she said should guide government agencies, telecom companies, educational institutions and development partners in expanding digital inclusion.The dialogue was convened by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), through the Uganda Communications Universal Service and Access Fund (UCUSAF), in partnership with the British Council.Ssebugwawo welcomed representatives from Kenya, saying regional cooperation could help Uganda draw lessons from neighbouring countries on how to extend digital opportunities to rural communities and other underserved groups.She noted that although digital technologies were transforming communication, businesses and public services, access to smart phones and computers, reliable internet and the skills needed to use them effectively remained uneven across the country.Citing findings from the 2024 National Population and Housing Census, Ssebugwawo said 43.6% of Ugandans aged 10 years and above owned mobile phones, with ownership significantly higher in urban areas than in rural communities, where the figure stood at 37%.She cautioned, however, that owning a phone did not necessarily mean having access to a smartphone, internet connectivity or the ability to use digital services confidently.“Digital literacy is not simply operating a phone or computer. It is using technology safely, confidently, and productively,” she said.The minister argued that Uganda’s digital transformation agenda would remain incomplete if sections of the population continued to struggle to use technology for practical economic and social benefits.She said farmers should be able to obtain market information, young people should use digital platforms to find jobs and establish enterprises, and small businesses should exploit technology to reach wider markets.Persons with disabilities, she added, should also benefit from accessible telecommunications technologies that enable them to use digital services more independently.To address these challenges, the minister identified affordability as the first priority, calling for partnerships between financial institutions, telecom operators and device suppliers to explore financing arrangements that could make digital devices more accessible to low-income households.She also urged stakeholders to abandon uniform training approaches in favour of programmes tailored to the specific needs of different groups.According to the minister, farmers, job seekers, older persons and small business owners require different digital competencies, making it necessary to design training around their education levels, languages and accessibility needs.She further called for stronger digital safety education, particularly in protecting personal information and guarding against online fraud.On the quality of training, Ssebugwawo warned that participation in a digital skills programme should not automatically be treated as proof that a learner had acquired the required competence.She challenged training institutions and other stakeholders to establish practical ways of assessing whether beneficiaries could apply their knowledge to online services, digital platforms and business activities.She also encouraged relevant institutions to explore ways of recognizing skills acquired through community programmes, workplace training and certified learning, within applicable national frameworks.The minister’s fourth priority was regional cooperation, with Uganda and Kenya expected to exchange training materials, approaches to developing digital skills and methods of monitoring the effectiveness of their programmes.She said such exchanges should go beyond sharing experiences and examine the costs, sustainability and practical challenges involved in implementing digital inclusion initiatives.Her fifth priority centred on coordination, financing and accountability, with stakeholders urged to share information about ongoing initiatives to avoid duplication and identify communities that remained underserved.Ssebugwawo said partnerships could also facilitate shared training facilities, common learning resources and stronger links between digital skills programmes, employers and entrepreneurs.She stressed that the success of such interventions should be measured by their impact on people’s lives rather than the number of participants enrolled.“ We must measure results, not just the number trained, but whether people apply their skills, find employment, grow businesses, and access public services more independently,” she said.The minister further called on participants to use the dialogue to develop practical recommendations, including proposals to improve affordability, training quality, inclusion and coordination across the country’s digital skills ecosystem.She said the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance was ready, within its mandate, to support coordination among relevant government institutions and development partners.She added that the country’s digital transformation should ultimately empower young people to participate in national development, help farmers access useful information, enable businesses to reach new customers and allow persons with disabilities to benefit more fully from digital services.The minister said achieving that vision would require sustained commitment from government, the private sector, development partners and other stakeholders, noting that the ultimate purpose of digital transformation was to create opportunities and improve people’s lives. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).