National Medical Stores (NMS) Smart Care App has won the most coveted award in the just concluded E-Government Excellence Awards 2019.
NMS Smart Care is a set of products that enable Public Health Facilities and the general public to give and receive feedback on the medicine and medical supplies delivered by NMS in real time. Read more about NMS Smart Care from this link
During the awarding ceremony which was held at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Thursday 27th June 2019, National Information Technology-Uganda (NITA-U) presented NMS with an award of excellence for an outstanding e-Service in the health sector.
NMS had been nominated in other categories like best Exhibitor, Government Entity of the year and best Head of IT at the Information Technology Expo which was recently held at Garden City in Kampala.
The main purpose was to recognize the various Government agencies that have played a remarkable role in availing online government services to the public, which NMS has not only been able to achieve as a government organization but put as a priority for public service.
E-Government Expo
The e -Government expo that took place on 20th June 2019 and 21st June 2019. At this expo, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) showcased their e-services and the journey taken thus far. This event attracted both public and private sector players: MDAs, Academia, Innovators, Telecoms, Fintech companies showcasing the future in digital governance.
Exhibitors: 50 exhibitors comprising of Ministries Departments and Agencies, Private companies, Academia, Innovation Hubs all participated in the 2 day expo.
Speaking at the launch, Representing NITA-U Executive Director, Peter Kahiigi, said: “The main objective of the awards was to share experiences with various Government entities across the country with a vision of innovative administration, access to information and enhanced service delivery through the application of e-Government.”
“The environment is ripe for the Government to have an expanded online presence. Citizens can now access information easier with more than 70% of Ugandans having mobile phones, 98% of Government offices having fully functional websites; 319 government applications are up and running. 81 e-Government services are now accessible through the e-citizens portal. The National Backbone infrastructure stretches over 3000 Kilometers across 60 towns, connecting 415 government offices’’, Saaka added.
The awards were preceded by a four week campaign which focused on sensitizing the Government, public and private sectors on the critical role ICTs play in transforming service delivery, job creation and accelerating socio-economic development. The campaign included an exhibition dubbed the “the e-government expo that was to provide an opportunity for Government ministries departments and agencies to showcase Government online services. The expo also attracted innovators, academia, Fintech, academia to showcase their prospects for digital governance.
“It’s time to appreciate and recognize performing entities but as well motivate those entities that are not yet in this digital space” Saaka noted
Speaking at the event, Peter Kahiigi, Director e-Government services said; “According to the United Nations e-Government survey 2018, Uganda’s online service index improved from 50% in 2016 to 57% in 2018 which puts the country in the high online service index bracket. The survey also indicated that Uganda’s e-Government development index (EGDI) improved from 36% in 2016 to 41% in 2018, which is above the African average of 34%. Uganda is currently ranked number one in Africa in cyber security by the global national cyber security index.
“This highlights the positive headway made in our collective effort to digitize Uganda. Our aim is to continue enabling the lives of Ugandan citizens by demystifying the concept of the use of ICT through the provision of reliable and consistent online government services. These awards will recognize the strides made in that journey”
Huawei Uganda, Executive director Liu Jiawei affirmed Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.’s commitment to supporting Ugandans bring services online.
“Huawei fully appreciates the role ICT plays in developing countries and we are always eager to promote activities that can transform service delivery through the use of ICTs. That is why we partnered with NITA-Uganda on this”