His Excellency Moses Kawaaluuko Kizige, the Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to the Russian Federation spoke at the International Municipal BRICS Forum today in St Petersburg. 

The forum was hosted under the theme " mankind and the world:creating trends and embracing the new"

Ambassador Kizige gave a perspective on Uganda during the panel discussion on Government Services of the future: e-government and digital citizens security.

He shared the successful  story of Uganda in the deployment/implementation of e-Governance and digital citizens security systems such as the national identification cards which have biometrics, the online visa application process, the e-Passports with biometrics  and digitalised public procurements among others. Systems like these eliminate manipulation ,reduce corruption, reinforces safety and security and enables global information sharing. 

He mentioned that when the world was shut down because of Covid 19, the government of Uganda continued to do business as usual with minimal fatalities due to the effectiveness of e-Governance. 

He further mentioned that the Government of Uganda is in the process of digitalizing medical records. 

"Many least developing countries lack appropriate information and communication   technology infrastructure. This is an area that  BRICS Member States must consider in empowering the many  countries that are looking up to them for effective leadership" said Ambassador Kizige. 

He mentioned that the storage of the data used in e-Governance must be guaranteed. It's the only way the users shall have confidence to use it. The systems must ensure privacy for the individuals. 

He called for information  sharing globally for effective  e-Governance . For instance, the information on Covid  19 vaccination has been very useful in the revival of the aviation industry. 

Information sharing has also been helpful in the fight against global terrorism and drug trafficking. 

The communication and Information Technology industry is so dynamic. The technology changes every day, which makes it extremely expensive to remain up-to-date and relevant   more so for the development countries. 

Uganda Embassy
Moscow