How Dr. Obote College Is Benefiting From ICT Skills

By Emmanuel Opio  

Lira City, Uganda: The Common Market for East and South African trade partnership is really making a difference for Ugandan students studying Information Technology (I.T) abroad.  

Angura James, an I.T. teacher at Dr. Obote College, shared that in 2017, the school represented Africa in a global innovation program held in Washington D.C., UK.  

He was thrilled to announce that they ranked 71st out of 200 countries participating worldwide.  

Angura mentioned that this experience allowed them to exchange ideas, tackle problems, and find solutions together.  

On the other hand, Emmanuel Angoda, who leads the I.T. department at Lira Town College, proudly stated that their school has snagged seven trophies in Uganda.  

He confirmed that some of their innovations are flying off the shelves both locally and internationally.  

One standout innovation is a project from 2014, developed by the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC), which created a walk track application designed to help visually impaired individuals navigate around potholes, stones, and other obstacles on the streets.  

Angura noted that this project, recognized by UCC as an annual Communication Innovation, was awarded in 2014 due to its high demand in the market. The students have successfully marketed the application to visually impaired people both in Uganda and beyond.  

Angoda added that the COMESA trade partnership has also empowered I.T. students to learn computer skills and develop applications to sell their products, like cakes and bags, even outside the country.  

COMESA is a trade alliance that facilitates commerce between East African and South African nations.  

Uganda collaborates with various South African trade partners, including Stanbic Bank, which has a partnership with Standard Bank based in South Africa.  

Thanks to the Ministry of Education, Janet Katha Museveni has been supporting I.T. awards for students through their development partners.