Invest more in software development –experts urge government
A group of Software Developers in Uganda wants the government to invest more in training of software engineers to bridge the current skills shortage.
Their effort is being driven by the 2020 Google Developer survey, which showed that Africa is home to a staggering 700,000 developers, with Uganda accounting for 11,003, Kenya for 58,175, Nigeria for 83,609, and South Africa for 118,541.
The group led by the Executive Director of the Refectory Company Micheal Niyetegyeka while briefing the media about the upcoming Uganda Developer Summit at the National ICT Innovation Hub -Nakawa on Tuesday, explained the growing interest in software development in Uganda, saying it is easy to set up a software industry compared to establishing an infrastructure company.
Niyetegyeka urged the government to focus on attracting investors in this industry to skill more youth in software development and inspire them to contribute to the global demand for skilled software engineers,” we see the software industry as a low handling fruit for the Ugandan talent, so to set up a software company in uganda is not as complicated as setting up an infrastructure company.”Niyetegyeka said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the ICT Association of Uganda Gideon Nkurunungi revealed that their target is to contribute 9% to the country’s economy, up from the current 7%.
