President Yoweri Museveni has launched Phase Four of the National Information Communication Technology (ICT) Backbone Infrastructure project for Teso and Karamoja Sub-Regions at Ongongoja Secondary School in Katakwi District.
The President said the project would benefit rural-based schools. The project tailored for educational learning is expected to enable students access electronic textbooks loaded on computer sets. The system will eliminate students’ expenditure on textbooks. The project is also intended to lower the cost on the Internet bandwidth.
According to the Director of e-Government Services, Peter Kahigi, the launch of Phase 4 marked the completion of connecting of government offices, schools, hospitals and district headquarters.
Phase 1 of the project was launched in 2007 to cover the areas of Kampala, Jinja, Entebbe, and Bombo while Phase 2, that became operational in 2009 extended services to the districts of Mbale, Soroti, Lira, Gulu and to Nimule which saw South Sudan also connected.
The third phase, which became operational in 2015, linked Kampala to Masaka area up to Mutukula and also Masaka to Kabale, Katuna up to Rwanda.
The upcoming phase is expected to have all the Sub-Counties in the country connected.
President Museveni later addressed a rally at Obulengorok Primary School where he sensitized the Wananchi in Teso on the available approaches to create household wealth and jobs.
He called for innovation to enable people shift from subsistence to commercial methods of farming in order to eradicate household poverty and be economically empowered.
“Now I want you to join a movement of forms of creating wealth and jobs that I want to witness on ground when I come here for the next visit. To achieve this status, we need to listen carefully to acquire the necessary knowledge through hard work,” he said.
He taught the people of Teso modern commercial agricultural practices on four-acre pieces of land where they can grow cassava, groundnuts, fruits like oranges, have pasture for zero grazing of animals, poultry or piggery and fish farming for those who are in valleys.
The President said it his wish to have Teso become an area of milk. He pledged his support and also commended them for being hard working.
He said he would instruct Operation Wealth Creation officials to provide them with cassava cuttings.
He implored them to take advantage of the peace and tranquillity that NRM brought after the disarmament of Karimojong warriors, the new roads and electricity to be economically empowered in order to address their individual household needs.
He said Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) would take over the Usuk-Amuria road for proper management.
He pledged Shs.20Million to the youths, another Shs.10Million to the Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization (SACCO) of NRM leaders and Shs 20Million to the Boda Boda SACCO.