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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The International Trade Centre, a joint cooperation agency of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and World Trade Organisation charged with the responsibility of development trade, has unveiled a new project aimed at increasing competitiveness of Uganda’s technology companies.
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, ITC’S Trust Fund IV project seeks to strengthen competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the country’s information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services (ITES) sectors through funding and skills enhancement.
ITC Executive Director, Arancha González said: Competitiveness is not an option. It is a necessity if countries are to seize opportunities presented by trade and new technologies. With the NTF IV project we will open up a new chapter in ITC’s support to the development of exports of “Made in Uganda” IT and IT enabled services.
The NTF IV project is designed to scale up companies, provide more end-to-end solutions, engage more startups, and ultimately be one of the key drivers of the development of the IT sector. Amelia Kyambadde, Uganda’s Minister of Trade Industry and Cooperatives, said she welcomes the ITC’s new initiative to support the local IT industry.
“We know Ugandan companies have the skills to compete in international markets and NTF IV project will help some climb that last barrier and expand beyond our borders,” she said. NTF IV is a continuation of a long-running partnership between the Dutch Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) and ITC.
The project will run until June 2021, working at different levels of engagement with more than 100 MSMEs in Uganda, of which more than half comprise start-up companies.
The NTF IV project will also place a significant focus on gender and actively promote the participation of Ugandan women in tech – especially in leadership positions.
Currently, most women in the sector tend to hold lowers killed jobs such as data entry and image tagging.
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