By David Muwanga

Uganda is waiting for a decision from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) phase two before committing itself to the Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF).
“Though Uganda and other developing countries supported the establishment of the fund, it was not approved by the WSIS phase one summit in Geneva in 2003,” said Patrick Mwesigwa, the technical director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).
“Instead, the summit asked the United Nations Secretary General’s office to set up a task force to carry out a study on the existing financial mechanisms and look into the feasibility of setting up the fund,” he told Highway News Agency (HANA).
He said Uganda, like other developing countries, is confronted with problems related to limited financial resources, inadequate infrastructure and a lack of access. He pointed out other limiting factors such as a lack of awareness about the benefits of ICT’s in social economic development.
“Some countries have on their own decided to contribute to the fund, and Uganda’s position is that the fund should be set up in order to address the enormous financial requirements to meet the WSIS targets and the millennium development goals,” he said.
Mwesigwa said that government is committed to implement the WSIS Plan of Action through the national ICT policy and the telecom policy that is currently under review.