The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has expressed shock at claims by Uganda’s Ministry of ICT and National Guidance that the organisation’s joint project with the Ministry will create 6,000 local jobs.
Dr Aminah Zawedde, the Permanent Secretary of the ICT Ministry, was on August 9 quoted by local media as saying a total of 6,000 jobs in the ICT sector are projected to result from the Uganda-Japan (UJ) Connect project, implemented by the Ministry in collaboration with JICA.
Zawedde said the ‘UJ Connect’ is part of the government’s digital transformation roadmap.
Under this initiative, which began in February, Ugandan businesses and youth are matched with Japanese companies to create employment opportunities and enhance the capacity of local innovators.
However, a top official at JICA has punched holes in Zawedde’s claim, wondering how the number of jobs to be created by the project was calculated.
Shimpei Watanabe, JICA’s expert of ICT Industry promotion project in Uganda, has since written to the ICT Ministry seeking clarification on the matter.
“JICA and the Japanese Embassy were surprised to read about the creation of 6,000 jobs mentioned in this article,” said Watanabe in a communication sent to the ICT Ministry on August 9, 2024.
“To my knowledge, our project (UJ Connect) has not explicitly stated this number (job creation) in any documents or events,” Watanabe observed.
“Was this figure added by the media without permission, or is it a number calculated within the Ministry of ICT?” she added.
Sources said a few officials close to ICT Ministry PS Zawedde are keen on portraying her as an achiever despite serious concerns about her performance.
The intense public relations campaign also comes at a time when the Public Service commission is assessing the performance of several permanent secretaries including Zawedde to advise President Museveni on whether to renew their contracts or kick them out of office.
