Internet yet to click with Ugandans

Country is eager to get online to improve development of education and business

One sunny morning recently, four young entrepreneurs burst into my office in Jinja, a rundown town in Eastern Uganda. Breathless, they wondered whether they could ask for support from the Global Fund for Women fund using the Internet.

They said a community development officer had visited their group and advised them to do this.

There were more questions from the excited group as they settled into the chairs I had given them - "John, what is the Internet?", "How is a website used?", "What is an e-mail?", "How does one open up an e-mail?"

I told them to relax and slowly explained that the Internet was a collection of websites with useful information and the fastest way to communicate on it was by e-mail.

I pulled out my laptop and within 20 minutes each of these women had an e-mail address. Then I took them to the Global Fund for Women website and opened up an online application for funding.

They looked puzzled but satisfied. Each wanted to learn more about the Internet and how they could use it to better their lives. They had heard of credit accounts, blogs and music downloads but did not know where to find them.

These were ordinary Ugandans living in a world where there are few computers. In this country of 38 million, less than 5 percent have access to the Internet. With per capita income of $500, few Ugandans can afford to buy computers.

Many, however, can afford mobile phones, thanks to Chinese company Tecno, which provide them for as little as $20. Although the phones have no Internet connection, businesses in Uganda have benefited from information exchange and what is locally known as "mobile money" transfers.

With an underdeveloped banking sector in Uganda, it is through these phones that business people transfer money to their agents. In urban centers people use the facility to transfer money to their relatives in the rural community.

But getting access to more advanced information technology is still a huge challenge for Ugandans. Less than 20 percent of elementary or primary schools in the country have computers. It is only students in the elite high schools who can access computers - and few of these have Internet connections due to cost.

There is evidence that those who do get online improve their education, having discovered that information obtained through the Internet is more entertaining than reading an ordinary textbook. This is a key development area in a country where there are few books to be found on shelves.

Another digital drawback in Uganda is that there are few Internet service providers. Not all parts of Uganda are covered by Internet satellites. In many rural areas there is no signal, cutting off the entire population from the outside world.

Leading universities in the country, such as Makerere University and Uganda Christian University, ensure their students have computer skills, and some use online teaching to reduce education fees and costs.

This has led to a new class of Ugandans who know how to search and download notes, videos and other material, and they are becoming the agents of change for a better Uganda. They are informed and are keen to demand their rights.

These young people have joined the Chinese and Indian communities in the country in setting up computer and Internet shops. These charge at least 50 US cents an hour for access, enabling young people in urban centers to improve their academic, business and social life.

They also provide a new source of employment. In 2008 only 2.5 million Ugandans had an e-mail address, less than 1 percent of the population. Now there are about 4 million, most of them under 30.

Unfortunately, this does not aid their rural counterparts, even if there are qualified IT teachers around to help. Nor is it helping new and established businesses in urban areas.

A recent Study by Joseph Sewanya of Makerere University in Kampala found that businesses are slow to use the Internet due to the high connection costs for their offices.

Despite the government's liberalization policies, Internet use remains a challenge for businesses.

Over the past six years, the government has opened up the telecommunications sector for competition. There are now several mobile phone and radio networks, paging and courier services, private radio and television stations, and multi-purpose community communications centers providing fax, telephone, media and various IT services.

Few companies have websites to market their business, with few secure servers and website developers available.

Only 17 percent of companies in Uganda have secure servers to allow them to transmit confidential information on the purchase of goods and services.

The high cost of hardware and software, ISPs, and lack of funds to pay qualified personnel limit the number of businesses that can go online.

Also, many of the heads of these companies are "old school" who have yet to realize the benefits of using the Internet to do business.

But Ugandans, like the four women who burst into my office, are eager to learn about the Internet. With their increasing incomes, they hope that they may soon be in a position to afford cheaper computers and IT equipment from China - to enable them to connect to the world in which decisions on their future are being made.

The author is a commentator and development consultant. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily. Contact the author at John.banalya@gmail.com

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/14/2013 page10)