The National Information Technology Authority (NITA) Uganda has announced its second edition of the e-Government Excellence Awards under the theme, “Bold digital Government, embracing disruptive technologies” — to recognize Government MDAs that have played a remarkable role in availing online government service (e-Services) to the public.
The awards are in seven categories; CIO of the Year, Agency of the Year, e-Service of the Year, Citizen’s Choice of the Year, BPO/ITES Company of the Year, Private Sector Company of the Year, and ICT Journalist of the Year. NITA-Uganda has called on interested participants to submit their expressions of interest to info@nita.go.ug before November 22nd, 2021.
“We believe these awards will enable sharing of experiences amongst various government entities so as to nurture a common vision of innovative administration, access to information, and enhanced service delivery to citizens,” Collin Babirukamu Mugasha, the Director of E-Government Services at NITA Uganda, said while addressing journalists at Uganda Media Center.
Babirukamu added that the awards will provide a platform to recognize and applaud outstanding Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies that have championed e-service delivery.
The awards are in line with the third National Development Plan Goal that seeks to improve Public Sector Response to the needs of citizens and the Public Sector — and they are also in line with the NRM Manifesto 2021/26 that seeks to Digitize Service delivery processes across all government entities through the adoption of new ways of delivering services.
This year’s awards will commence with the e-Government Masterclass on December 1st and 2nd, 2021 thereafter on December 3rd, 2021 hold an e-Government Expo and conclude with the e-Government Excellence Award and Gala that will be held on December 10th, 2021
NITA Uganda also plans to hold an e-Government campaign culminating in a final e-Government Excellence Gala to highlight the advancements in e-Government services in Uganda. The main objective of the campaign is to share experiences with various government entities from across the country, who share a vision of innovative administration through the application of e-Government.
As one of the first large-scale events post-pandemic, the e-Government excellence program will bring together Governments, innovators, entrepreneurs, private sector players, scholars, and ICT companies to reflect on the current and future state of ICT.
NITA Uganda expects this year’s event to be a success same as last year which brought together over 9 million virtual views, 10 million reach, 5,000 physical participants, 150 Government CIOs, and 40 exhibitors. The ceremony that was held at the Speke Resort Munyonyo was graced by former Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda as the Chief Guest, former Minister of ICT and National Guidance; Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, former State Minister for Investment and Privatization; Hon. Evelyne Anite, World Bank country manager for Uganda; Antony Thompson, among others.
While giving his speech, Rugunda said the government MDAs that were nominated for the awards, were the ones that have been outstanding in digitizing services and bringing these services online. He also noted that the public should be aware of the role ICT plays in transforming their lives. He further stated that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government recognizes ICT as one of the key drivers of efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery, production processes, and communication.
The winners of the 2019 e-Government Excellence Awards were;
| Nominees | e-Government Excellence Award |
| Martin Sekajja | Chief Information Officer |
| Makerere University | Outstanding Web-portal Award: Connected |
| Uganda National Bureau of Standard | Outstanding Web-portal Award: Interactive |
| Office of the Director Public Prosecution | Outstanding Web-portal Award: Informational |
| Mbarara District Local Government | Outstanding Web-portal Award: Local Government |
| Uganda National Roads Authority (PDU e-Transit Ladder) | Outstanding Sector e-Service Award: Economic, Infrastructure and Competitiveness sector |
| Uganda Revenue Authority (eBIZ) | Outstanding Sector e-Service Award: Tourism and Trade sector |
| Uganda National Examinations Board (e-Registration) | Outstanding Sector e-Service Award: The education sector |
| National Medical Store (Smart Care) | Outstanding Sector e-Service Award: The health sector |
| Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development (External Employment Information System) | Outstanding Sector e-Service Award: Human sector |
| Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (Integrated Financial Management System) | Outstanding Sector e-Service Award: Accountability and Governance sector |
| Ministry of Local Government (ELogRev) | Outstanding Sector e-Service Award: Public Administrations and Management sector |
| Uganda Registration Services Bureau (Business Registration system) | Outstanding Sector e-Service Award: Justice Law and Order sector |
| Uganda Revenue Authority | Best Exhibitor at e-Government Expo |
| National Social Security Fund | Government Entity of the Year |
| Uganda Revenue Authority (eTax) | Citizen Choice |
ALSO READ: FULL LIST OF THE 2019 e-GOVERNMENT EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS
Rugunda said the government will continue to support the use of e-Government to enhance service delivery. “The growth of e-Government does not only improve service delivery in the pure sense, but it is also an important enabler in the fight against corruption,” he said.
NITA Uganda has been at the forefront of enforcing and pushing for e-Service delivery across government entities. The government through NITA Uganda made an effort in ensuring automation of service delivery for government MDAs which has resulted in the development of information systems to support the provision of e-services to the public.
Furthermore, NITA also continues to expand nationwide internet connectivity as a foundation for the deepening of e-governance. Under the Last Mile Connectivity Project, NITA is expanding the coverage of the NBI through laying of an additional 732km of fiber optic cables to connect and provide services to 700 sites including but not limited to local governments, hospitals, schools, universities, among others.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated
