Uganda’s President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has officially launched the Huawei DigiTruck project in Uganda. This initiative aims to provide free digital skills training to more than 10,000 Ugandans over three years. The DigiTruck project falls under Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative, a long-term plan for driving inclusion and sustainability across the globe.
The Huawei DigiTruck project will focus on providing digital literacy skills training to youth, Jua-Kali enterprises, and women. The goal is to create sustainable livelihood opportunities and expand the customer landscape, allowing small businesses to provide clients with a greater range of products and services. The training will also improve financial inclusion through improved mobile money operations.
Partnering with the Ministry of Labour, Gender and Social Development and an international social enterprise, Close the Gap, the Uganda DigiTruck project is aligned with the nation’s 2040 vision, National Development Plan, and Education Digital Agenda Strategy. The focus of these initiatives is to promote digital foundation skills, digital communications and information, digital transactions, using the Internet for problem-solving, online safety, civic responsibility, and data privacy. These skills will promote the digitalization of the informal sector (Jua-Kali) enterprises for productivity and job growth in Uganda.
READ ALSO: Uganda Included in Huawei’s List of Top Employers in Sub-Saharan Africa
DigiTrucks are mobile classrooms converted from used shipping containers and mounted on trucks. Fully solar-powered, they can be driven to remote and underserved communities that lack training facilities and power supply. Each 40-hour course trains students in digital literacy skills such as how to use devices, office software, and the Internet, alongside soft skills such as writing a resume, applying for jobs online, and running an online business. Each DigiTruck can accommodate 20 learners in one session and comes equipped with the Huawei IdeaHub smart screen, 21 Huawei smartphones, and 21 Huawei laptops, all of which run on solar power installed on top of the truck.
Huawei’s DigiTruck project is a part of the company’s broader approach of building ICT skills capabilities in Uganda with its partners. The project aims to transfer ICT skills to Jua-Kali enterprise owners in the four main regions of Uganda. The initiative is a key driver for economic empowerment, and it will contribute towards narrowing the digital divide in Uganda.
The launch ceremony of the DigiTruck project was attended by various dignitaries, including H.E Janet Museveni, the First Lady and Minister of Education & Sports, H.E Jessica Alupo, The Vice President of Uganda, Hon. Dr. Monica M. Musenero, Minister Science, Technology, and Innovation, Col. Rtd Okello P. Charles Engola, Minister of State for Labour, Employment, and Industrial Relations, and Gaofei, Huawei MD.
Huawei’s DigiTruck project is an excellent example of how public-private partnerships can drive digital inclusion and sustainability. It is a remarkable initiative that will create a more equal future for everyone in Uganda. Schedules of the bus on how it will move across the country haven’t been released during the launch but it’s something that will be communicated later in the year and through the Ministry of Education’s and Huawei’s social media pages.
