At the launch of Blue Chip Technologies, a Pan-African digital Technology company in Uganda, Chris Baryomunsi, the country Minister for Information, Communication Technology, and National Guidance, has called on more companies to invest in the production of communication devices within the country. By doing so, he believes that this will lead to a decrease in the cost of digital communication. Minister Baryomunsi points out that the evidence so far suggests that locally-made phones, laptops, and iPads are more affordable, showing the potential for significant savings in gadget expenses.
He warns that Uganda and Sub-Saharan Africa face a widening digital gap between the global north and south due to their lagging adoption of digital technologies. He emphasizes the urgency of accelerating the country’s embrace of the 4th Industrial Revolution in order to ensure that digital advancements fuel all sectors of the economy. BlueChip Technologies, a prominent tech company from Africa, is focused on transforming Uganda’s technological environment by offering a wide range of cutting-edge solutions that are customized to suit the requirements of businesses and organizations in the country.
They aim to lower the cost of a smartphone within two years.
Baryomunsi said the high cost of the internet and devices is hindering digital penetration. He expressed that his ministry is collaborating with other government departments to discuss potential Tax reductions or exemptions on communication gadgets such as mobile phones and computers in order to address this issue while welcoming the new company. Despite being cheaper, some locally-made products have not been able to break into the market, forcing one assembler to Export them. Nevertheless, the minister remains optimistic and committed to the government’s goal of lowering the cost of a smartphone to 40,000 shilling within two years, down from the current low-end price of 150,000.
Furthermore, he expressed optimism about the decreasing cost of the internet due to Infrastructure expansion and growing user numbers. Government-provided data now costs 35 dollars per megawatt per second per month, while the national average, taking private providers into account, is 45 dollars, which is a significant drop from 300 dollars in 2016. He believes that the government will enhance supply, reliability, and cost efficiency by expanding the National Backbone Infrastructure, which currently spans 45 percent of the nation’s territory and is securing additional resources.
A more digitally-focused economy will be achieved.
Soyombo Olumide, one of the Co-Founders of Blue Chip Global Technologies, shared that their decision to enter Uganda was driven by the promising opportunities within the country’s flourishing Digital Economy and the pervasive Culture of creativity and Innovation among its people. Olumide stated that the company’s market entry will drive technological progress in the country by leveraging its digital transformation knowledge, scalable infrastructure solutions, and expertise in cybersecurity. This will propel the country towards a more digitally-focused economy.
Also, he mentioned that the country’s potential for entrepreneurship, the large and dynamic youth population, and its appeal to Investors are key strengths for its future. Olumide expressed his admiration for Uganda’s advanced e-government system, which enables all Investment procedures to be completed online. BlueChip Technologies not only prioritizes the development and preparation of graduate students for the workforce through technology transfer but has also extended its reach to various countries in Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Uganda since it was established in 2018.
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Kazeem Tewogbade, also a co-founder at BlueChip Technologies, emphasized the company’s dedication to fostering Africa’s development and positioning it competitively on the global stage. Through a focus on excellence, innovation, and meeting customer needs, BlueChip delivers measurable outcomes that support clients in successfully reaching their digital transformation objectives. He explained that they tackle the complex task of extracting practical business insights from data and automating processes by utilizing seven key business drivers: People, Applications, Process, Strategy, Metrics, Data, and Architecture.