It’s
approximately more than ten years since Uganda passed the Access to Information Act and following the United Nations new program of upholding to Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) End poverty in all its forms everywhere,End hunger,achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture,Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages among others, Development Research and Training in conjunction with
Rwenzori Information Centres Network have completely indulged in using
information for poverty eradication platform under the umbrella of involving
organizations and individuals in producing, processing, disseminating and
sharing information for development. To implement this, the dual organized a
half day workshop on 6th/October/2015 at St. Josephs Inn, Virika in
Fort portal town on the role of information in development and the role and
responsibilities of each stakeholder in ensuring an effective role of
information in realizing Sustainable Development Goals.
Among
those who attended the workshop were District Information Officers from the
districts of Kabarole, Kasese, Ntoroko and Bundibugyo. Farmers and plant doctors
were also present who discussed and shared a lot of information in regard to
the primary objective of the workshop which was "to evaluate the impact of information in poverty eradication". Issues like technical people like the
CAOs and LCVs should be involved in the ICT working world, information being
something intangible, political leaders always do not take it as priority,
access to information leads to an informed and empowered citizenry willing and
able to make right decisions, media has played a significant role in
information dissemination among others discussed. It was such an interactive
exercise where farmers and plant doctors shared their experiences with the rest
of the participants where they applauded the information centres like RIC-NET
and BIC for supporting and empowering them with the ICT skills and gadgets
which has enabled them to reach greater heights in their day to day farming
activities. This was evident when Mr. Alex Thabulenga a beekeeper proudly
exhibited his produce from bees and their products such as honey, propolise and
bee venom among others. In his exhibition, he explained the prices of different
bee products on both local and international market, their uses among others
which knowledge he attributed to the use of internet and information centres
from where he gets more information on how to carry on his farming whereas
another one form Semuliki cooperative union in Bundibugyo that deals in cocoa
shared his experience through which they have used ICT to connect their smaller
cocoa growing primary units and so reach international Market.
Among
those who attended the workshop were District Information Officers from the
districts of Kabarole, Kasese, Ntoroko and Bundibugyo. Farmers and plant doctors
were also present who discussed and shared a lot of information in regard to
the primary objective of the workshop which was "to evaluate the impact of information in poverty eradication". Issues like technical people like the
CAOs and LCVs should be involved in the ICT working world, information being
something intangible, political leaders always do not take it as priority,
access to information leads to an informed and empowered citizenry willing and
able to make right decisions, media has played a significant role in
information dissemination among others discussed. It was such an interactive
exercise where farmers and plant doctors shared their experiences with the rest
of the participants where they applauded the information centres like RIC-NET
and BIC for supporting and empowering them with the ICT skills and gadgets
which has enabled them to reach greater heights in their day to day farming
activities. This was evident when Mr. Alex Thabulenga a beekeeper proudly
exhibited his produce from bees and their products such as honey, propolise and
bee venom among others. In his exhibition, he explained the prices of different
bee products on both local and international market, their uses among others
which knowledge he attributed to the use of internet and information centres
from where he gets more information on how to carry on his farming whereas
another one form Semuliki cooperative union in Bundibugyo that deals in cocoa
shared his experience through which they have used ICT to connect their smaller
cocoa growing primary units and so reach international Market. 
Mr. Thabulenga exhibiting his
products from bees.
Threats
and challenges such as competition, costly internet, limited knowledge on how
to operate ICT tools such as smart phones, illiteracy, mobilization being
difficult, inadequate tools and skills for capacity building, the law sometimes
prohibits the giving of some information among others were all raised. The
workshop was closed by the District Information Officer of Kabarole District
who called upon the people to embrace change putting in mind the law, asked the
CAOs to be involved in the ICT working environment and requested for registries
in districts for more information dissemination.
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