TMCnet News

It's Time to Embrace the Digital Revolution [opinion]
[October 24, 2014]

It's Time to Embrace the Digital Revolution [opinion]


(AllAfrica Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Our forefathers made great treks in jungles and valleys, braving bad weather and disease, in pursuit of efficient ways to transmit messages from one place to another.

In places where it was not humanly possible, doves and wine bottles were attained. Notes were tied onto a dove's leg and messages placed inside bottles that were then let to drift on the sea, lake, or river. They just had to take their chances and trust nature.



Generations later, distances trekked have become shorter, thanks mostly to the growth of information communication technology (ICT). With the proliferation of communication gadgets such as desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, and iPads, there has been less trekking.

The global real-time manufacture of branded items from the likes of Samsung, Apple, Nokia, Alcatel, or Sony makes it easy to communicate better, with customisation to users' tastes and preferences.


The 2013 e-learning Africa report found that 40 per cent of African learning was technology-assisted. Professionals were using ICTs, specifically for skills training, up from 18 per cent the previous year. After the liberalisation of airwaves in 1992, Uganda has witnessed a communication and innovation proliferation.

The telecommunications sector has experienced a paradigm shift! The fixed lines coma has birthed a vibrant mobile phone sector that is now the heartbeat of the economy.

This even sparked debate amongst legislators to commence a Shs 5,000 levy on all mobile phone subscribers. With an estimated 19 million mobile phone handsets in Uganda today, this levy would generate approximately Shs 95bn annually.

Mobile applications (Apps) are the in-thing, no matter which tier of the economy you fall in. Mobile money is getting to all hard-to-reach areas and giving banks a run for their money! According to the 2013 Kenya country report, Uganda mobile money agents take the lead in revenue collections, compared to their East African counterparts. Uganda mobile agents earn $136 (Shs 353,600) compared to Tanzania's $126 (Shs 327,600) and Kenya's $117 (Shs 304,200) per month.

It is said that almost every hand carrier user has a mobile money account, a huge significant gap in comparison to the banking sector. The financial sector has, however, not sat back to technological progression, as online transactions make the bouquet of their services. Clients in and out of the country are now able to carry out financial transactions with a mere click of a mouse.

Mobile applications have not avoided the health, education and entertainment sectors. According to a report from the World Economic Forum, with only three per cent of the world's healthcare workforce, Africa faces 28 per cent of the global disease burden. In response, Africa is adopting new operating models and technologies.

By training health extension workers to focus on education, family planning and sanitation, Ethiopia achieved a 32 per cent drop in child mortality and a 38 per cent drop in maternal mortality. In Kenya, e-learning has taught 12,000 nurses how to treat major diseases such as HIV and malaria, compared to the 100 nurses a year that can be taught in a classroom.

Uganda has not been left out of the medical technological transition. The Medical Concierge Group (TMCG), in partnership with Clinic Master Software, has made it possible to provide clinics and hospitals with electronic medical records, billing systems, stock management, etc.

Today, a doctor can attend to a patient via word, voice, picture and video chat, in the comfort of their homes, on a 24-hour basis - by using WhatsApp. The entertainment industry, too, has flourished with the emergence of new media such as SoundCloud, ReverbNation and YouTube.

Artistes are now able to share their music globally and even make revenue off it, depending on clicks and views online. Quoting Rwanda President Paul Kagame, "we consider ICT a utility like electricity, water and other necessities. So far, I haven't seen anything to discourage me from investing in ICTs".

This explains why the government of Uganda is investing heftily in ICT and in need of Shs 186bn each year to provide internet facilities in schools, hospitals and other government departments. According to the responsible ministry, most of the government-aided schools are connected to ICT. Furthermore, 6,000 teachers are currently undergoing internet web-based skills training.

At the inaugural US-Africa summit, President Barack Obama stated that "the internet is an open space". Without a doubt, an ideal depiction of a free-market economy. Thronged with numbers on various online platforms, given the exponential global economy, this is an arena worth investment in.

The author works at Uganda Media Centre.

Copyright The Observer. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]