Policy no Information Systems And Service S for Uganda : Suggested Formulation and ' Plans For Implementations.
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Date
1992-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
An a t tempt has been made i n this study to exami ne the
problems of information development and information and
development in Uganda. Uganda has potential for sooio-eoonomio
development. Transport and oommunioation are reasonably well
developed. Informati on oommunioati on i s however, still a
problem. There is no singl e national l anguage used i n all
parts of the oountry. Bnglish, the offioial language , has not
spread adequately t o s erve a-s a oommon a edium of
oommunioation. The present eoonomio infrastruoture oannot
support national free and oompulsory basio eduoation to
eradioate illiteraoy.
Information aoti vities i n the oountry are weak .
Information seeking and use behaviour has not evolved t o
oonstitute a hi gh demand for information . Aooess to teohnioal
and speoialized information is still limited t o a small
seotion of the sooietYI the eduoated and elite working and
living in towns. Almost all media infrastruotur es and other
supporting infrastruotures are urban based. The available
media servioes are not adequately serving the rural people who
oonstitute more about 90% of the population of uganda.
Insti tutions in the rural areas cannot buy and maintain
intormati on dissemination equipment and materi als due t o
poverty and illiteracy. Multi plicity ot lanquaqes also limits
media services.
Information as an overall resource tor national
devel opment needs t o be properly coordinated. There is need t o
coordinate intormati on qeneratinq and disseminatinq
intra structures in the country. Appl icati on ot intormation t o
nati~nal~ develop~ent should be
.~ , done consoiously and
deliberately not accidentally or haphazardly.
Intormatics will not malte an impact on national and
intormation resource shari nq in support ot development wi thout
a national intormati on coordination and clear a policy on
intormation. without proper ooordination and applioations of
information, involvinq into information activities miqht prove
a liability, exposinq the nation to unchecked exploitation .
Proper coordination requires well trained and competent
information personnel.
Information policy issues and their implications are
discussed. Policy stat ements relatinq to information systems
and services, and their i mplementation steps have been
suqqested.
Finally, some short and lonq term recommendations in the
view of information infrastructure development in uqanda to
support national development have been made.
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Keywords
Information Science