Get documents about "Report of the second WOUGNETUNDP-WSIS public meeting apac
Shared by: armedman1
-
Stats
- views:
- 49
- posted:
- 12/9/2008
- language:
- English
- pages:
- 35
Document Sample
WOUGNET/UNDP-WSIS Second Public Meeting
“ICT for Poverty Reduction in Apac”
July 22, 2004
Uganda Red Cross Hall
Apac Town Council
Apac, Uganda
Contact:
Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
P.O. Box 4411
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256-41-256832
Fax: +256-41-234924
Email: info@wougnet.org
Web: http://www.wougnet.org
Table of Contents
ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................. 2
WOUGNET/UNDP-WSIS Second Public Meeting, Apac Town............................................... 3
1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 5
1.1 Second Public Meeting objectives and expectations .......................................................... 6
1.2 Second Public Meeting participants ................................................................................... 6
1.3 The Public Meeting Methodology ...................................................................................... 7
1.4 The Public Meeting Program .............................................................................................. 8
1.4.1 Setting the stage for the Public Meeting .................................................................... 9
1.4.2 Participant introductions ............................................................................................ 9
2.0 PANEL: “ICTS FOR POVERTY REDUCTION IN APAC” ............................ 9
2.1 ICT for Poverty Reduction: A Multi-stakeholder Approach – Mr. Milton Aineruhanga,
WOUGNET ...................................................................................................................... 10
2.2 Keynote Address: Promoting a Culture of ICTs for Poverty Reduction - Mr. Ongom Odel
........................................................................................................................................ 12
2.3 ICT for Poverty Reduction in Apac – Mr. Geoffrey Agoi, Ministry of Works, Housing
and Communications ........................................................................................................ 12
2.4 Radio as an ICT Tool for Apac Women’s Information Service – Mrs. Lydia Hope Ogwal,
Radio Apac Women’s Forum ........................................................................................... 14
2.5 Radio Apac Services – Mr. Dennis Okello, Station Manager, Radio Apac ..................... 15
3.0 PUBLIC DISCUSSION AND PROPOSALS .................................................... 15
3.1 Highlights of key points of the discussion ........................................................................ 17
4.0 NOMINATIONS FOR APAC ICT STEERING COMMITTEE ................... 18
4.1 Follow up meeting of the Apac ICT steering Committee................................................. 18
5.0 CONCLUSIVE REMARKS AND CLOSE OF PUBLIC MEETING ............. 19
Appendix A: Second Public Meeting participants.................................................................... 20
Appendix B: Second Public Meeting Programme .................................................................... 22
Appendix C: Apac ICT Steering Committee ............................................................................ 24
Appendix D: Facilitator’s Narrative of Second Public Meeting – Ms. Jane Frances Oling . 25
Appendix E: Invitation letter to Second WOUGNET/UNDP-WSIS public meeting ............ 27
Appendix F: ICT for Poverty Reduction: A Multi-stakeholder Approach – Mr. Milton
Aineruhanga, WOUGNET .................................................................................. 28
Appendix G: ICT for Poverty Reduction in Apac – Mr. Geoffrey Agoi, Ministry of Works,
Housing and Communications ............................................................................ 29
Appendix H: Evaluation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use in Apac
................................................................................................................................ 30
1
Acronyms
ASDI Agency for Sustainable Development Initiatives
CBO Community Based Organization
CD Compact Disc
CPA Concerned Parents’ Association
DIO District Information Officer
DISO District Intelligence Security Officer
DLC District Local Council
FAPAD Facilitation for Peace and Development
FGD Focus Group Discussion
FPAU Family Planning Association of Uganda
ICT Information Communication Technology
MTN Mobile Telephone Network
MoWHC Ministry of Works, Housing and Communication
NGO Non Government Organization
PRA Participatory research appraisal
RCDF Rural Communication Development Fund
RDC Resident District Commissioner
REFLECT Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community
Techniques
UCC Uganda Communications Commission
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UWESO Uganda Women’s Efforts to Save Orphans
WOUGNET Women of Uganda Network
WSIS World Summit on the Information Society
2
WOUGNET/UNDP-WSIS Second Public Meeting, Apac Town
Purpose: Present findings of 2003 focus group discussions and First
Public Meeting. Develop an action plan to campaign for
and promote ICT in Apac.
Place: Apac Town Council, Apac District, Uganda.
Master of Ceremony: Mr. Jack Otim, Programmes Manager, Radio Apac.
Facilitator: Miss. Jane Frances Oling, Coordinator, Facilitation for
Peace and Development.
Keynote Speaker: Mr. Ongom Odel, Retired Head of Apac Town Council.
End Speaker: Hon. Vincent Oling, Secretary for Education, Apac District
Local Council.
Guest Speakers: Miss. Lydia Hope Ogwal, Radio Apac Women’s Forum
Mr. Dennis Okello, Acting Station Manager, Radio Apac.
Meeting Managers: Mr. Milton Aineruhanga, Program Officer, WOUGNET.
Mr. Jimmy Okello, Director, Radio Apac.
3
Figure 1: Registration of participants at the second WOUGNET/UNDP-WSIS public
meeting.
Figure 2: Registration of participants at the second WOUGNET/UNDP-WSIS public
meeting
4
1.0 Introduction
Leading up to the first phase of the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS),
Geneva 2003, Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) in partnership with Radio Apac
and with support from the UNDP-WSIS National Meetings Project undertook a project
that involved a series of meetings in Apac District1, Northern Uganda, to encourage
public participation and input in the WSIS process.
Northern Uganda, and Apac District in particular, does not have ready access to
information and communication technologies (ICTs) – a situation that is representative of
the majority of rural Uganda. The project sought to apply participatory methodologies
including a multi-stakeholder (civil society, government, private sector) approach to
address this issue.
The project objective was to use participatory research methodologies, as well as involve
the use of community radio, to identify the information and communication needs of a
rural community for inclusion in the public policy processes for poverty reduction 2. The
majority of the population in Apac District is rural accounting for 89.7% of the total
population. The economy of the district mainly depends on subsistence production, where
75% of the population in the district are engaged in subsistence farming3.
Between November 12-14, 2003, focus group discussions were held with stakeholders in
their respective categories. This was followed by the first WOUGNET/UNDP-WSIS
public meeting on November 22, 2003, that involved multi-stakeholder participation. The
theme of the first public meeting was “Information for Poverty Reduction in Apac” and
the goal was to identify the information and communication needs in Apac as well as
appropriate ICTs to match these needs for poverty reduction. The project findings and
documentation were presented at the WSIS held in December 2003 in Geneva,
Switzerland, and were also provided as an input to the process of developing national
strategies for implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action. The ICT needs identified
included a call for strengthening of community radio, given that radio was identified as
the most accessible ICT4.
The UNDP-WSIS project seeks to use the WSIS opportunity to encourage innovation and
to make good use of the inter-summit period to strengthen the potential for
implementation through demonstration of collaborative models. It also seeks to put
forward new partnership models – involving national and international partners – to
strengthen the implementation. Initiated in May 2000, WOUGNET is a non-
governmental organisation with a mission to promote and support the use of ICTs by
1
Apac District Portal, http://www.apac.go.ug
2
Participatory Research on Information and communication technologies for Poverty Reduction in Apac,
Northern Uganda. WOUGNET report presented at the Institute at WSIS, December 10, 2003, Geneva,
Switzerland.
3
Statistics provided are derived from the WOUGNET Report on Participatory Research on Information
and Communication Technologies for Poverty Reduction in Apac, Northern Uganda.
4
WOUGNET Report on Participatory Research on Information and communication technologies for
Poverty Reduction in Apac, Northern Uganda.
5
women and women organisations in Uganda in order to share information and address
issues collectively for sustainable local and national development 5. Radio Apac, the lead
local partner, is a community radio station focused on educational and developmental
programming for Apac District. The radio was established in 1999 with support from the
Commonwealth of Learning6.
1.1 Second Public Meeting objectives and expectations
The meeting had two primary objectives which were to present the findings of the
meetings conducted in 2003, and to garner the public’s views about the way forward as
well as select a local team to steer the campaign for ICT usage in Apac District.
The first objective had four key elements:
Make a presentation of the November 2003 project findings that were also
presented by WOUGNET at the WSIS in Geneva. Handouts of the WSIS
presentation were given to participants.
Make a presentation of the REFLECT participatory research approach.
Obtain a report about ICT activity and infrastructure in Apac District from the
Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications.
Obtain a report about ICT support available to rural/underserved areas, such as
Apac District, from the Uganda Communications Commission.
From this objective, it was expected that participants would be equipped with knowledge
of the ICT activity in Apac and the government’s ICT plans to assist them effectively
utilize ICTs for poverty reduction in Apac.
The second objective had two key elements:
Stimulate participants into participatory open discussion and debate about ICT
needs and usage in Apac.
Nominate a campaign team that would steer the promotion of ICT in Apac.
It was expected that the participants would propose realistic solutions to ICT needs in
Apac after gaining knowledge about the ICT situation from the presentations that were
made by the key speakers. They would then be able to nominate a formidable ICT
support team to carry out resolutions declared from the meeting.
1.2 Second Public Meeting participants
Invitation letters were sent out to a total of fifty participants. The selection of the
participants was based on the following:
Obtaining a group of participants with varied ICT interests.
Obtaining a multi-stakeholder group representing civil society, government and
the private sector.
Promoting a gender balance.
5
WOUGNET, http://www.wougnet.org
6
Radio Apac, http://www.interconnection.org/radioapac
6
Obtaining an ICT enthusiastic group based upon active participation in the
November 2003 focus group discussions (FGDs) and public Meeting.
The meeting was attended by fifty-five people, of whom nineteen (34%) were female.
The list of participants is presented in Appendix A. Participants included WOUGNET
members based in neighbouring Lira District7 - together Apac and Lira form the Lango
sub-region of Uganda.
Figure 3: Participants at the second WOUGNET UNDP/WSIS public meeting, Apac
Town
1.3 The Public Meeting Methodology
The Public Meeting employed a participatory approach, which included brainstorming,
discussion, and presentations. Participants shared their experiences and knowledge of
ICTs with the main presenters. At the end of the meeting, a questionnaire was circulated
to evaluate the ICT knowledge level of the participants and to probe the success of the
public meeting. Thirty-eight (69%) questionnaires were returned and Appendix H
presents the ICT evaluation results.
Prior to the public meeting, on July 22, 2004, a meeting was organized for women group
leaders from Apac District to discuss with Mr. Geoffrey Agoi, the representative from the
7
Lira District Portal, http://www.lira.go.ug
7
Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications. The objective of the meeting was to
enable Mr. Agoi gain an understanding of how much ICT usage was a factor in the day-
to-day activities of women’s groups in Apac. Table 1 presents the list of participants at
this meeting.
Table 1: List of participants at the women’s groups/MoWHC meeting
No Name Village
1 Mrs. Margaret Ewany Apac Town Council
2 Mrs. Veronica Opimo Atopi
3 Mrs. Margaret Odongo Inomo Baropobo
4 Mrs. Mary Opio Apac Town
5 Mrs. Nancitancia Agany Apac Town
6 Mrs. Tabisa Ocen C.P Atar Village
7 Mrs. Roselyn Okech Akokoro
8 Ms Atim Molly Apac Town
9 Mrs. Betty Ogwang Loro
10 Mr. Agoi Geoffrey Kampala
1.4 The Public Meeting Program
The agenda of the public meeting, presented in Appendix B, was sent out to all
participants. The agenda provided for key speakers to illuminate and emphasize the ICT
issues to the participants as well as for open discussion, debate, and resolutions by all
participants.
A number of changes were made to the program on the day of the public meeting because
some key presenters were not able to make it due to unavoidable circumstances. Mr.
Jimmy Okello, local coordinator of the meetings project, highlighted the changes in the
agenda as follows:
1. The Master of Ceremonies of the public meeting would be Mr. Jack Otim.
2. Mr. Samuel Omwa, District Youth Officer, was held up in Kampala on official
duty and was not able to be present. Ms Jane France Oling would take over the
duties of meeting facilitator.
3. Mr. Grace Maiso, REFLECT participatory methodology practitioner, would not
be able to make it to the public meeting. Mr. Milton Aineruhanga, WOUGNET,
would give a brief about REFLECT during his presentation.
8
4. A representative from Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) was not able
to make it to Apac. Mr. Geoffrey Agoi, Ministry of Works, Housing and
Communications, would incorporate information about UCC in his presentation.
5. Ms. Sarah Adongo was not able to make to the public meeting. Ms. Lydia Hope
Ogwal would make the presentation from Radio Apac Women’s forum.
1.4.1 Setting the stage for the Public Meeting
The public meeting was called to order at 2:14pm by the facilitator, Ms. Jane Frances
Oling. She called upon Mr. Tom Okello to lead the participants in an opening prayer.
Following the prayer, Mr. Jack Otim gave a brief introduction of the meeting and called
upon Mr. Jimmy Okello of Radio Apac to further elaborate on the purpose of the
meeting.
Mr. Jimmy Okello enlightened the public about the purpose of the meeting which
included presenting a report of the Focus Group Discussions (FDGs) held in November
2003 at Victoria Lodge, a report of the first public meeting held on November 22, 2003 at
Omodi Hostel, and a presentation of the WSIS Geneva report culminating from the FGDs
and first public meeting. He pointed out that the second public meeting was also to enable
the community come up with the way forward and actions to take leading to the second
phase of the WSIS meeting scheduled to take place in Tunisia in 2005.
Mr. Okello further noted that the representative of the MoWHC was present and would
give a brief about the activities of his ministry and how it would affect the public in Apac
and the presentation would also include information from UCC. Mr. Okello then went
ahead to introduce the key speakers.
1.4.2 Participant introductions
At 2:35pm, the facilitator took the meeting through singing of the national anthem and
self-introductions by the participants. Mr. Milton Aineruhanga, WOUGNET, was then
invited to make his presentation.
2.0 Panel: “ICTs for Poverty Reduction in Apac”
From the November 2003 meetings, it was found that a large proportion of the population
is interested in information that they can use to improve their productivity. The panel
consisting of Mr. Milton Aineruhanga of WOUGNET, Mr. Godfrey Agoi of MoWHC
and Mr. Ongom Odel a retired district commissioner were to present information to
illuminate the participants about key issues concerning the impact of ICTs and their
livelihoods with an emphasis on Apac District.
9
2.1 ICT for Poverty Reduction: A Multi-stakeholder Approach – Mr. Milton
Aineruhanga, WOUGNET
Mr. Milton Aineruhanga began by stressing that WOUGNET has strong roots in Apac
and their having activities in Apac was not by coincidence. He added that WOUGNET
had a number of members hailing from Apac, some of whom were present at this
meeting. The WOUGNET secretariat is located in Kampala, and there are members in all
corners of the country.
Mr. Aineruhanga then went on to make his presentation (see Appendix F for the full
presentation). The main items covered under the presentation were as follows.
Figure 4: Mr. Milton Aineruhanga making his presentation.
Mr. Aineruhanga pointed out the concern in most rural areas about the need for ICTs was
that it competes with tangible issues such as the need for food or school fees. He
rationalized that ICTs would be able to make the solution of such problems faster by
increasing the speed of communication.
He made clear to the participants how Apac district is an underserved area in terms of
ICT. Apac represented Northern Uganda regions, which experience similar poor ICT
status levels. He then underlined the project goal of finding an action plan to undertake
an ICT usage promotion in Apac district.
10
He noted that lessons learnt in Apac could be applicable in other rural areas. He informed
participants that UNDP-WSIS National Meeting Projects were taking place in five
countries, out of which Senegal and Uganda are representing Africa. It is expected that
the solutions proposed at the public meeting in Apac are expected to be different from
those coming from national meetings in other countries.
Mr. Aineruhanga described to the participants how the implementation of the meetings
was being carried out. Firstly, WOUGNET collaborated with Radio Apac, the local FM
radio, to introduce and publicize the subject of ICTs to the public. This allowed the
public to interact with the radio presenters and its listeners about ICT issues during live
broadcasts. Secondly, focus group discussions were held with three sectors of the
community: civil society, government and the public sector.
He commented that this methodology experienced difficulty in collecting responses from
the rural masses about how they could use ICT for poverty reduction. This was, for
example, because not all rural people were able to call into the programs to give a
conclusive consultation result. Hence explaining what ICT is, and how the rural
community can use it was difficult. The Participatory Research Appraisal (PRA) and
REFLECT approaches are to be used in future – both techniques require significant
amounts of time which was not available during this first phase of the project.
Mr. Aineruhanga explained that the ICT sector is rather new so we are experimenting
with ICT initiatives such as communities owning telecentres. Donors have come in to
establish telecentres for communities to have access to ICTs. However the communities
may fail to manage them once the donor period elapses and the facilities are handed over
to the communities. Having the FGDs and the public meeting will help WOUGNET to
gauge the opinion of the different sectors in terms of ICT actions and how they can
sustain them.
Mr. Aineruhanga then went into the analysis of the methodology they had been using. He
pointed out that the results could be inconclusive. Most of the ICT need was found to
revolve around radio. So the question was that, apart from the radio, what other ICTs
could be used? There was not enough time to carry out the research project to the
required PRA standards. Maximum participation of the public has to be ensured in the
following research phase.
The point of going forward from the previous meetings was introduced. Mr. Aineruhanga
made it clear that there was a second phase of the project that required the project to be
further developed. Mr. Aineruhanga talked about the REFLECT approach where the
communities in Apac can develop their own ICT solutions without undue influence from
other material or sources. He stressed the need for local actions by local people and the
need for local actions to work with government programs.
11
2.2 Keynote Address: Promoting a Culture of ICTs for Poverty Reduction - Mr.
Ongom Odel
Mr. Ongom Odel started by saying that the culture of using ICTs should be instilled in
the children. He noted that the Internet was now available in Apac. This was brought by
an Apac community based organization called Agency for Sustainable Development
Initiatives (ASDI8). He emphasized that while this is a big success in terms of an ICT
initiative, people have got to learn how to use it. He suggested that the public should
prioritize the technology they want, learn to use it and pursue its acquisition.
He asked the public whether they can adopt new technologies brought from outside. ICT
can be a difficult subject but people should change to a new culture of adopting new
technology. He stressed the importance of people embracing the new technology and that
the public meetings should rally behind the meetings goals and promote ICT use in Apac.
Figure 5: Keynote address presented by Mr. Ongom Odel
2.3 ICT for Poverty Reduction in Apac – Mr. Geoffrey Agoi, Ministry of Works,
Housing and Communications
The meeting facilitator introduced the representative of Ministry of Works, Housing and
Communications (MoWHC9), Mr. Geoffrey Agoi, who then came forward to make his
presentation regarding MoWHC and the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC10).
8
ASDI, http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/asdiug.html
9
MoWHC, http://www.miniworks.go.ug
10
UCC, http://www.ucc.co.ug
12
Mr. Agoi introduced himself as a Communications Officer from MoWHC and gave three
reasons why he came for the meeting:
1) Verify the existence of ICT services in Apac.
2) Determine the usage of ICT services and to what extent they cover the area
geographically.
3) Determine how can we use ICTs to help those at grassroots level?
He urged participants to come up with suggestions as to how government can help them
in introducing ICT initiatives in the district. He stressed the importance of ICT as a
channel and as an infrastructure.
Figure 6: Mr. Geoffrey Agoi making his presentation.
The key question or element of concern to the public is whether there is an ICT
infrastructure existing in Apac. The main element of ICT is the equipment. He showed in
his presentation how ICT can be used, for example in e-government, in public
administration (see Appendix G for Mr. Agoi’s presentation).
Mr. Agoi proceeded to give examples of how teleworking and teleservices can be used in
rural areas that were unprotected. He explained that unprotected areas are those without
any communication service. Mr. Agoi highlighted his examples using a story of a farmer
who had cut his cabbages ready for a confirmed buyer who did not show up. The farmer
wished he had a phone to solicit other buyers to take his cabbages before they got spoilt.
13
Mr. Agoi then informed the public meeting of government’s efforts to improve rural
access to ICTs. He highlighted the government policy, legal and regulatory framework
governing ICTs and illustrated the structure of communication in Uganda. He talked
about ICT access and initiatives in rural Uganda, which is anywhere outside Kampala. He
described the VillagePhone as an ICT initiative targeting rural areas. The VillagePhone
was launched by MTN, a mobile telecommunications company. He indicated locations in
Apac where telephony services can be found.
Mr. Agoi briefed the public meeting about support available for ICT projects that they
develop. For example, local initiatives could access funds from the Rural
Communications Development Fund (RCDF11) administered by the Uganda
Communications Commission. He let the participants know how much money they could
access to support ICT initiatives such as:
US$ 6,000 available to entrepreneurs who are setting up an Internet café or
training center;
US$ 400 available to entrepreneurs to set up a pay phone.
He explained about the conditions one has to fulfill to receive the funds, for example, the
business/sustainability plan of the initiative has to be viable in the rural area.
In conclusion Mr. Agoi suggested that the public should think about forming groups at
the sub-county level, county level and district level to initiate ICT projects that can serve
their communications and information needs. He appealed for cooperation with
government in all that the public did – emphasizing that they should work hand in hand
with government people at local and national levels.
Ms. Oling, the facilitator, thanked Mr. Agoi for his presentation, and the public was
requested to save their reactions and questions. This was because it was 4:00pm and the
meeting was running behind schedule. She then invited Ms. Lydia Hope Ogwal to make
her presentation about the Radio Apac Women’s Forum.
2.4 Radio as an ICT Tool for Apac Women’s Information Service – Mrs. Lydia
Hope Ogwal, Radio Apac Women’s Forum
Ms. Lydia Hope Ogwal introduced herself as a member of the Radio Apac Women’s
Forum. Radio has been an ICT that has helped women communicate. They have found it
the most convenient to share information. She invited people from various sectors and
walks of life to discuss topics like domestic violence, gender and health. In this way
women would be getting current information. She said if ICTs were improved in the
district then the Radio Apac Women’s Forum would utilize them in order to give better
information service to their audience.
11
UCC Rural Communications Development Fund, http://www.ucc.co.ug/
14
2.5 Radio Apac Services – Mr. Dennis Okello, Station Manager, Radio Apac
Mr. Dennis Okello talked about the background of Radio Apac and how it was
established in Apac district. He talked about the radio station being a way for information
dissemination in Apac district. He noted the services of the radio station could not be
entirely free to the public because of the need for self-sustenance.
Mr. Okello described some of the programs on air at the station that give valuable
information to the public such as crime prevention, youth forum, women’s forum, men’s
forum, and elders’ forum. He also mentioned other services the station offered such as
computer services.
3.0 Public Discussion And Proposals
The public meeting was then opened for discussion about the suggestions on the way
forward for ICT in Apac district. Following is a summary of what the participants
contributed to the discussion.
Mr. Ongom Odel started the discussion by saying to all that technology was needed. He
then went on to say that there is a need to get one by one according to priorities. So he
urged the public at the meeting to sit down and prioritize what was required.
Mr. Geoffrey Agoi gave more clarification by posing the question again to the meeting.
What do we need to communicate to others? How can we effect it using an ICT that is
convenient? For example how best can a field worker pass on information to the peasant
subsistence farmer seated at home?
Mr. Ongom Odel added on to his statement that not all the ICTs could work at once.
Every village has a radio receiver, so that radio ICT can be used but the Internet is not
present in all villages so it may not be required for communication.
Mr. Elem Francis said that the radio is important because there is no electric power in
the villages to power up computers. Also in the town power was very unreliable so
computers cannot be used all the time.
The Chairperson Baropobo Women’s Group, Mrs. Margaret Odongo, stood up to say that
phones could help connect people. The Internet can also help; for example, it is good for
sending proposals to other people far away. Right now you can come from the village to
Apac and send email.
Ms. Margaret Ewai said to the public that luck comes to your door only once. The
opportunity to get new technology has come so people should embrace it. We have letters
that are nailed on trees in the village to invite people to a meeting such as this one from
the local councils as a method of communication. But the Internet is also good. The
15
Radio signals cannot reach Kampala (capital city 350 kms away) so it cannot be used to
communicate that far. So that is where phones come in as useful ICT.
Mr. Andrew Omony of ActionAid, called for a need to prioritize ICT needs. He said we
do not know much about all the ICTs available out there for use. So he said they needed
an awareness workshop where people could be invited and educated about the various
communication technologies available.
Mr. Dennis Okeng, a representative of Concerned Parents Association (CPA), spoke
about the need for identifying the ICT gaps in Apac. In the town there is Internet, and
phones are available. But the coverage of this service is still not sufficient and Apac is
lagging behind. He said we have to look at the development of Apac as a global issue. He
said we should look at the issue of ICT use beyond Apac district. Using ICT to sell to
markets in international places, and for produce selling to the capital city. He said we
needed to reach out to all other parts of the world, which cannot be reached by radio.
Globalization has come and Apac cannot be left out.
Mr. Dennis Okello told the meeting that there is a need to understand what we are trying
to communicate. Then the right technology for carrying that information should be
chosen.
Atopi prison representative, Mr. Letti Jimmy, stood up to say that a lot of talk has been
about supporting the internet yet in the village newspapers such as “Rupiny” a local
language weekly paper, were the best ways for providing information to people.
Honorable Atim Molly said that the grassroots were marginalized by the technology in
the villages because of it is expensive. She suggested to the public to use ICTs that were
affordable.
The District Intelligence Security Officer (DISO), Mr. Latigo Ongom, pointed out to the
participants at the meeting that all ICTs were good. He urged the management of the
radio station to increase the power of their radio station so that it can be received all
over the district. He said almost everybody can receive radio but the Internet was for the
elite.
Mr. Patrick Obong referred to newspapers as being the most important to rural people. He
said the information in the papers was permanent and could be filed. It does not distort
information, as is the case with radio. The newspapers can be exchanged among the
villagers.
A member of Baropobo Women’s Group gave a saying that one may have twelve children
but they do not all have the same talents. Such is the same with ICTs and therefore we
must embrace them all.
Mr. Albino Odong, director of Uganda Red Cross Apac, stressed that information is the
heart of an organization. Even though the rural community is illiterate we should accept
16
ICT gadgets to go to the villages. Apac should not remain backward. There are available
power sources such as solar energy and power generators that can be used to run these
technologies. Mr. Odong further said that we need to uplift the standard of the rural
communicator and accept new things. There are many people with relatives in the United
Kingdom and they may wish to communicate with them. So more email and fax
machines have to be made available in the villages.
Mr. Geoffrey Elong said the newspapers were a good source of information. He said for
him being a journalist in Apac the lack of ICTs has hindered his work. He might have a
good story to file but there is no fax machine in Apac or affordable email, which he can
use to send his stories to “The New Vision” a daily English newspaper in Kampala. The
phone is also too expensive for explaining his work. So cheap faxes are required in Apac.
Mr. Jovan Jokene, Hospital Administrator of Apac, drew the public’s attention to the cost
of maintaining these technologies. Once people know the cost of the various ICT, it will
help them to prioritize on what ICT they need to use.
Ms Helen Koli requested that people should be selective of what ICT they desire. For her
work with children, the radio was very relevant.
Mr. Bonny Odwono drew people’s attention to the expense in using these new
technologies. To him the technology was causing poverty in the district because it drains
a lot of money from people’s pockets because you have to buy airtime for the phones all
the time to communicate.
A participant from Family Planning Association, Apac, Ms. Akech Lily, said there are
people with disabilities among the public who also need to send and receive information.
Technologies like radio are appropriate for the blind, the deaf need videos and these
people also need the Internet so they have to be provided the right gadgets to help them
access this information and to communicate.
At this point the facilitator had to call the meeting to be summarized since the meeting
had gone beyond time. She called upon Mr. Jimmy Okello to give a conclusive brief.
3.1 Highlights of key points of the discussion
Following the open discussion, Mr. Jimmy Okello reiterated the opportunities to acquire
ICT initiatives support from UCC and RCDF. This was mainly in response to a question
that arose out of the meeting. The meeting wanted to know where the ICTs they are
proposing to support would come from. Proposals for ICT support could also be
forwarded to other support organizations through WOUGNET. He emphasized the
importance of finding the information needs and the appropriate ICT to carry this
information. He urged the public to come up with proposals to tap these available funding
resources mentioned by previous presenters.
17
4.0 Nominations for Apac ICT Steering Committee
At the end of the public deliberations, the participants decided that a local team of
members from Apac form a steering committee. The committee’s mission would be to
campaign and advocate for ICT usage in all sectors of the Apac district economy
including, education, NGOs, community based groups, local government and the
business community.
Mr. Jimmy Okello, the WOUGNET/ UNDP-WSIS project manager in Apac, informed
the public that the steering committee was voluntary work. He then went on to brief the
public meeting of what the steering committee members were expected to do such as,
liaise with WOUGNET, MoWHC, regarding projects and exchange of information
related to ICT developments internationally, nationally and locally. The steering
committee would also be the managers for the ICT campaign and advocacy by consulting
with the community and organizing public meetings to keep the members updated on ICT
issues as well as get input from the members of the community. He then proposed the
working structure of the steering committee. The meeting was open to nominations for
the steering committee.
A six-member steering committee was nominated and appointed. The nominations
included seven names out of which one person the District Information Officer, Mr.
Willy Aguma, stood down due to his busy schedule with is office. However he pledged to
work very closely with the steering committee (see Appendix C for the list of Apac ICT
Steering Committee members).
After the nominations, Mr. Milton Aineruhanga, appreciated the diversity of the
technologies discussed in this public meeting. He also appreciated the nomination of the
Apac ICT steering committee and hoped that it would take on projects that are necessary
for ICT development in Apac. Examples of projects could be improving upon the Apac
Internet web portal with information relevant to the community.
4.1 Follow up meeting of the Apac ICT steering Committee
A follow up meeting of the steering committee members was scheduled for the following
day, Friday 23rd July 2004. The purpose of the meeting was for the Steering Committee
members to discuss how they would work with the WOUGNET Program Officer and the
MoWHC representative. The meeting was attended by:
1) Mr. Dennis Okello Radio Apac
2) Mr. Oguti Elong Tom Youth and Culture Apac
3) Hon Atim Molly UWESO Apac
4) Ms. Akech Lilly FPAU
5) Ms. Jane Frances Oling FAPAD
6) Mr. Agoi Geoffrey MoWHC
7) Mr. Milton Aineruhanga WOUGNET
8) Mr. Jimmy Okello Radio Apac
18
Mr. Jimmy Okello chaired the meeting, which started at 11:00am. Ms. Jane Frances
Oling opened the meeting with a prayer. Thereafter, Mr. Aineruhanga gave the
nominated members a brief of their expected roles. The group selected Mr. Dennis
Okello to be their coordinator and Ms. Oling to be their Secretary who shall help them
with following up the ICT setup issues.
5.0 Conclusive Remarks and Close of Public Meeting
Conclusive remarks for the public meeting were given by Hon. Vincent Oling. He was
encouraged by the enthusiasm of the people of Apac to embrace ICT. He stressed that
information is vital for development and that ICT cannot be over emphasized. There is
also a need to create local capacity in the area of ICT. The meeting was closed with a
prayer by Mr. Tom Okello.
Figure 7: Hon. Vincent Oling, Secretary for Education, Apac Town Council standing
between two lady participants at the end of the meeting.
19
Appendix A: Second Public Meeting participants
No. Name Sex Title Location
1 Oguti Tom Adyo M Deputy Youth Officer Apac Town Council
2 Solomon Oola M Technician Radio Apac
3 Tom Okello M Presenter Apac Town Council
4 Okello H. M Executive Director AOWDSAP, P.O. Box
Toombic 2, Apac
5 Jane Frances F Coordinator FAPAD Apac Town
Oling
6 Joseph Ocen Ecil M Presenter Apac Town Council
7 Mrs. Betty F Chairperson UWESO Loro Loro Secondary School
Ogwang
8 Ms Koli Helen F Coordinator Save the Children
Uganda
9 Mrs. Margaret F Chairperson Baropobo Women’s
Odongo Group
10 Mrs. Tabica C.P. F Chairperson UWESO Apac Apac Secondary School
Ocen Town
11 Ms. Roselen Okec F Chairperson UWESO Akokoro Secondary
Akokoro School
12 Richard Ogwal M Journalist Apac Town Council
13 Elem Francis M Sales Officer Apac Town Council
14 Pastor Egwea M Executive Director Aduku, Apac
Godwin
15 Natansia Agany F Redia Polog Apac Town
16 Odwono Bonny M Local Administration Police Apac Town Council
Apac
17 Veronica Opima F Chairperson Atopi Women at Work
18 Mary Opio F Redia PEBG Apac Town council
19 Letti Jimmy M Atopi Prison Apac Prison
20 Opio Tobby M Youth representative Apac Apac Town Council
sub county
21 Otim Patrick M DJ Apac Apac Town Council
22 Ebil Calvin M Kec Nyango
23 Obote Tommy M DJ Apac Apac Town
24 Obua Patrick M Youth Representative Family Planning FPAU
25 Okeng Dennis M CPA Apac Amnesty Apac Town council
Commission
26 Latigo Ongom M Acting DISO Apac District
27 Ms. Edna Abeja F Secretary to DISO Apac Town
28 Geoffrey Eling M Journalist Apac Town
29 Ongom Bernard M Manager Lamco B Apac Town
30 Apio Claudia F Youth Alive Coordinator Apac Town
20
31 Albino Rob M Director, Uganda Red Cross Apac Town
Odongo Apac
32 Akech Lily F DDAPC Apac Town
33 Okello Jacob- M JEDAO Millers Apac Town Council
Ebwe
34 Jokene Jovan M Hospital Administrator Apac Hospital
35 Denis B Okello M Apac Radio Manager Radio Apac
36 Hon. Atim Molly F Treasurer Apac Town Council
37 Okabo Dickson M Deputy Headmaster Apac Primary School
38 Ewomy Margaret F UWESO Chairperson Apac District
39 Anyango Susan F Secretary Almana Apac Town
40 Lydia Hope F Presenter Apac Town
Ogwal
41 Norah Naggwa F Receptionist Apac Town
42 Omony Andrew M Coordinator CADOVIC- Apac Town
Action aid
43 Odwono Geoffrey M Coordinator YAAC Chawente
44 Nyankori George M Presenter Apac Town
45 Ekwang Alfred M Information Officer ASDI Apac
46 Ogwal Amute M Chairman, Africa Chemica Apac Town
47 P.J. Olugo Atine M Mobilizer RDC Office Apac Town
48 Mr. Ongom Odel M P.O. Box 42 Apac Apac Town
49 Bette Emmanuel M Student Bata Modern SS
50 Agwena Issarella F Student Bata Modern SS
51 Peter Obong M Rupiny/New Vision Apac
52 Akulu Betty F JOWORWU Aduku
53 Hon Vincent M Secretary Education Apac
Oling
54 Geoffrey J M Reporter Apac FM
Okwang
55 Mr. Willy Aguma M District Information Officer Apac Town
Female participants: 19 Male participants: 36
21
Appendix B: Second Public Meeting Programme
Second Public Meeting
WOUGNET/UNDP-WSIS
“ICT for Poverty Reduction in Apac”
Item Activity Time
1. Arrival of participants 1.30-2.00pm
2. Opening prayer and Introduction of second public meeting - Radio Apac 2.00-2.05pm
3. Recognition of public officials and self introductions 2.05-2.10pm
- Facilitator, Mr. Samuel Omwa, District Youth Officer
4. Introduction of UNDP WSIS National Meetings Project, WOUGNET and 2.10-2.30pm
purpose of the second public meeting. Presentation of WSIS Geneva - Apac
Information Needs Assessment.
- Mr. Milton Aineruhanga, WOUGNET Program Officer
5. Keynote speech: “Promoting a culture of ICTs for Poverty Reduction” 2.30-2.45pm
- Mr. Ongom Odel, Retired Apac Town Council Chairman
6. Presentation from Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications 2.45-3.00pm
7. Presentation from Uganda Communications Commission 3.00-3.15pm
8. Presentation: “Participatory ICT program development using the 3.15-3.30pm
REFLECT Methodology”
- Mr. Grace Maiso, ICT REFLECT Project, Fort Portal
9. Presentation: “Women’s Forum Programme at Radio Apac” 3.30-3.45pm
- Ms. Sarah Adongo, Programme coordinator, Radio Apac Women’s
Forum
10. Presentation: “Radio Apac information programs and technology” 3.45-4.00pm
- Mr. Dennis Okello, Station Manager, Radio Apac
11. Open Discussion: ICT for poverty reduction in Apac District – What 4.00-4.30pm
strategy?
- Facilitated by Mr. Samuel Omwa
12. Call for resolutions on actions necessary to effect an ICT for Development 4.30-4.45pm
culture in Apac
- Facilitated by Mr. Samuel Omwa
13. Nomination of a five-member Apac ICT Promotion Team to provide 4.45-5.00pm
22
guidance to WOUGNET projects promoting ICT for Development in Apac
- Facilitated by Mr. Samuel Omwa
14. Closing remarks on behalf of WOUGNET and the UNDP WSIS project. 5.00-5.10pm
- Mr. Milton Aineruhanga
15. Summary of meeting and Vote of thanks 5.10-5.30pm
- Hon. Vincent Oling, Apac District Local Councilor
16. Networking and Refreshments 5.30-6.00pm
23
Appendix C: Apac ICT Steering Committee
No Name Occupation / Organization Address
1 Jane Social worker FAPAD, Facilitation for P O Box 150, Apac
Frances Peace and development.
Oling
2 Ms. Atim Local Council Women’s representative. A P O Box 2, Apac
Molly treasurer in UWESO (Uganda Women’s
Effort to Save Orphans) Apac Branch.
3 Dennis Acting Manager, Radio Apac FM P O Box 121, Apac.
Blair Biashara Cell, Western
Okello Ward, Apac Town
Council, Apac District.
4 Lilly Deputy District Prison’s Commander/ Prisons Dept.
Akech Family planning Association (Delegate at P O Box 2, Apac
National Level)
5 Oguti Youth and Culture officer, Apac DLC P O Box 1, Apac, Apac
Elong (District Local Council) Town Council, eastern
Thomas Ward, Upper center cell.
6 Mr. Retired Public Servant C/o P O Box 121, Apac.
Ongom
Odel
24
Appendix D: Facilitator’s Narrative of Second Public Meeting – Ms. Jane Frances
Oling
1.0 Introduction
A good number of women, youth, public officials, NGO representatives and women
groups attended this second public meeting.
This showed that radio campaign mobilization was very good since the majority
participants were farmers and women groups from different sub-counties in Apac district,
out of the Town Council area.
ICT introduction was made by the meeting managers together with its objectives. A lot of
explanations with enlightenment were put in place to make the people of Apac truly
understand what it means to have ICT in place.
2.0 Findings
People of Apac think it is a bit costly to have a television station, radio station, internet,
cell phones, e-mail, fax, video and radio call at the same time.
The public also noted the armed conflict in northern Uganda as being responsible for lack
of ICT in the region. For example, Radio Waa that was on Ngetta Hill was set on fire by
rebels.
3.0 Facilitation
The participants were very active and this helped the facilitator to bring out ideas from
them about the future of ICT in Apac. The discussion were very relevant according to the
participants because ICT is in line with their interests, plans and ambitions to develop
their own district, Apac, as far as ICT is concerned.
4.0 Reactions
Ms. Jane Frances Oling noted that ICT could best be used to educate the public on issues
like health, agriculture, education, culture and income generating activities for poverty
eradication. She urged the public and the entire Lango sub-region to open doors for
development-oriented projects like ICT.
“If possible, let this kind of good and development oriented meeting continue,” one
participant commented.
25
“We should work hard to develop our community Radio, Radio Apac first before further
development in ICT”.
“Radio Apac should work hand in hand or network with the local government, NGO’S
and other press offices around and within Apac.”
“Government of Uganda should come up with the laws that support ICT in all districts.
ICT programs should extend to sub counties within Apac district.”
One participant during an open discussion asked “How can we have both the Radio and
the satellite TV at the same time? Isn’t that costly?” Another participant Mr. Patrick
Ogwang asked, “Isn’t this very complicated, much as it is good to have them?”
Mr. Tom Oguti asked in the local language “Ento jami ni ducu kara aya I kwene?” “But
where will all these things come from?”
Mr. Willy Aguma said, “ICT will act like a stepping stone to develop this sub region,
please bring them for us”
An old woman stood up and said, “Wan kom omito jami no ducu ba” for us we want all
the communication technologies here in Lango.
5.0 Time management
The program started fifteen minutes late. However, good time was allowed to cover all
the issues. About 40 minutes were given for open discussion and participants gave in
their views openly.
6.0 Welfare
Refreshment was very fine. The music interlude was so good. Transport refunds were
reasonable.
7.0 Resolutions
The participants agreed that management of Radio Apac should improve on the radio
coverage so as to reach other places in Northern Uganda too.
It was resolved that a steering committee be put in place to help promote ICT in Apac.
26
Appendix E: Invitation letter to Second WOUGNET/UNDP-WSIS public meeting
July 7th, 2004
Dear Sir or Madame:
Greetings,
RE: Invitation to second public meeting “Information for Poverty Reduction in Apac”
Leading up to the first phase of the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) Geneva
2003, WOUGNET in partnership with Radio Apac and the United Nations Development
Programme - UNDP, held a series of public meetings in Apac with civil society, private sector
and government to encourage public participation in the WSIS process. As the preparatory
committee (PrepCom) meetings for the second phase of the WSIS Tunis 2005 begin, a public
meeting is scheduled in Apac to present the outcomes of the first phase and to lay strategies for
next steps.
The meeting recommendations will be provided as input to the process of developing a national
strategy for implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action. The project seeks to use the WSIS
opportunity to encourage innovation and to make good use of the inter-summit period to
strengthen the potential for implementation through demonstration of collaborative models. It
also seeks to put forward new partnership models – involving national and international partners
– to strengthen the implementation.
In this regard, your participation, or that of a representative, will be greatly appreciated. The
details of the public meeting are:
Date: Thursday, 22 July 2004
Venue: Omodi Hostel, Apac (Olelpek Road)
Time: 2:00 – 6:00 pm
Please find the agenda attached. Kindly confirm your participation by contacting Milton
Aineruhanga at (041) 256832 or by fax at (041) 234924 or by email at info@wougnet.org.
Looking forward to your participation,
Sincerely,
Dorothy Okello
Coordinator, WOUGNET
27
Appendix F: ICT for Poverty Reduction: A Multi-stakeholder Approach – Mr.
Milton Aineruhanga, WOUGNET
(available as separate document)
28
Appendix G: ICT for Poverty Reduction in Apac – Mr. Geoffrey Agoi, Ministry of
Works, Housing and Communications
(available as a separate document)
29
Appendix H: Evaluation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use
in Apac
1.0 Introduction
During the second WOUGNET/UNDP-WSIS public meeting, a survey was done using a
questionnaire to find out the level of ICT use in Apac and to gauge the public’s
knowledge about these ICTs. A total of fifty-five questionnaires were distributed and
thirty-four (62%) were returned.
2.0 Most used communication technologies
The three most used communication technologies in Apac are the FM radio station, Radio
Apac, cellular phones and newspapers.
Chart 1: Most used communications technologies in Apac
30
Newspapers
Satellite TV
12
TV
Radio Call
5
11
Video
Fax
5
ICT
23
Telephone
11 11
SMS
Computers
Internet
6
Email
8
29
Radio
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
No. of people using ICT
The main reasons for use of the three most used technologies were as indicated in Table
1.
Table 1: Reasons for use of radio, newspapers and cellular phones
Technology Reasons Primary Application
Radio Easy accessibility. Used equally for business/office
Affordability. work and for leisure/personal
Many people can hear a reasons.
message and pass it on.
Uses the local language. Of the three technologies, FM radio
Has a wide coverage. was the most used for business
purposes.
30
Newspaper Can be read by more than Used equally for business/office
one person. work and for leisure/personal
Can be read again. reasons.
Telephone For delivering individual Used primarily for business/office
messages. work.
For talking to someone out
of the radio coverage.
2.1 ICTs known by members of the Apac community
As highlighted in Table 2, it is interesting to note that many of the respondents knew
about a variety of information and communication technologies. However, they did not
necessarily use all the ICTs that they knew about.
Table 2: Knowledge/Use of various communication technologies
No. Technology Never heard Heard about it, but Use it Use it very
about it do not use it sometimes often
1 Radio FM - 5 3 29
2 Email 2 16 8 8
3 Internet - 20 7 6
4 Computers 1 13 10 11
5 SMS 1 16 7 11
6 Telephone - 6 7 23
7 Fax 2 18 9 5
8 Video - 8 14 11
9 Radio Call 1 19 8 5
10 TV 2 8 11 12
11 Satellite TV 2 22 10 -
12 Newspapers 1 4 - 30
3.0 Impediments to using ICT
From Table 2, one can observe that participants knew of a number of ICTs but were
simply not using them. The following impediments to using ICTs were noted:
- The ICT was expensive or unaffordable to use.
- The ICT was not accessible.
- People did not know where to find the ICTs.
- They had no knowledge of how to use the ICTs.
31
Participants noted that inaccessibility of ICTs was due to a number of reasons such as
lack of electricity or power to operate the ICTs, low coverage area of the radio and
cellular phone networks, and lack of training centers to equip the population with the
necessary ICT skills.
Furthermore, the Internet and email were cited as being inaccessible and expensive in
Apac town, while the fax is non-existent in Apac town. The participants expressed that in
case any of the above was introduced to the population they would be able to utilize the
resource for their various occupational needs.
3.1. ICTs required to enhance work/daily activities in Apac
As highlighted in Chart 2, when the participants were asked about what technologies they
would wish to acquire in support of their work and activities, the Internet and email stood
out as ICTs that are desired by the people of Apac.
Chart 2: ICT required to enhance work/daily activities in Apac
Electricity
Television 6%
Internet
6%
Video 25% Internet
6% Telephone
Computers
Radio
Radio
19% Video
Television
Telephone
22% Electricity
Computers
16%
Indeed, it was one of the resolutions of the participants to promote Internet and email use
in the district – and it is expected that the Apac ICT Steering Committee will promote the
acquisition of the required ICTs to enhance access to information for poverty reduction in
Apac Town and Apac District at large.
4.0 Impact of Technology on the Apac Community
32
Participants were asked to describe what impact information technology has had on them
as well as how they perceived that any new technologies would impact on them. Their
responses were a mixture of both positive and negative impacts.
4.1. Positive Impact of Technology
The following were noted as positive impacts that ICTs have had:
Improvement on people’s welfare.
Good exposure to the outside world.
Easy and quick communication.
Good access to information.
Improves trade among people.
Communication is now cheaper.
Poverty is being eradicated.
Having new technology has brought development.
Sensitization of the community is possible.
Mobilization of the town is possible.
4.2. Negative Impact of Technology
The following were noted as negative impacts that ICTs have had:
There is a lot of pornography on the Internet.
Erosion of local culture by adopting western influences found on the Internet.
Youth have been exposed to homosexuality on the Internet.
The technology is very expensive to get and use. Making phone calls can
impoverish a person.
Immorality is on the increase due to what people get from the Internet.
5.0 Status of ICTs in Apac
In conclusion, participants were asked to comment on the status of ICTs in Apac. As
depicted in Chart 3, participants considered the level of ICT usage in Apac to be very
poor. Hence, there is more effort required to introduce new technologies as well as
promote and expand the existing technologies available.
Training of the community in how to use the technology is required in order for them to
harness the potential of the technologies to access information that they can use to make
decisions that will help them reduce poverty amongst themselves.
33
Chart 3: Status of ICT in Apac
Good
11%
Poor
Fair Fair
30% Poor
Good
59%
34
Related docs
