David O. O. Obong, the permanent secretary, said by November or December, the ministry’s human capacity will be substantially established and its framework for supporting innovations which has been painstakingly developed will have been approved.
Obong, who joined the ministry as its pioneer permanent secretary in November 2016, said the ministry became operational in December 2016. Though it started in a small and poorly furnished place in Ntinda, Kampala, the ministry now has a spacious home in Rumee Building on Plot 19, Nkrumah road in Nakasero, Kampala.
“We have staff now; we have tools of the trade [equipment], and we are developing a framework. We now have fully specialized technical departments. All this in one and half year. We are now available for engagement and interaction. Two or three years in future, our story will be totally different,” he said with a beam of confidence.
Obong was addressing the media about their simple origins, progress and future plans on Thursday, October 18. He was accompanied by the under-secretary, Emmanuel Freddie Mugunga.
“You [media] are our partners because we are a young baby that needs nurturing. We will take you to different innovative projects and individuals so that publicity increases,” he said.
While explaining that the ministry will identify and profile into a national database all innovators in the country, Obong stressed that they will not be stopping at universities and research institutions but also go up to primary schools and rural households, in collaboration with the local governments, to achieve the noble goal. “No one will be left behind.”
He also consistently denied any duplication or conflict with the ministry of ICT. “There is no duplication but, rather, partnership and cooperation between ICT [ministry] and this ministry,” he stressed.
FULL-FLEDGED SECTOR
Among the achievements highlighted, Obong said the ministry has managed to convince government to demarcate and recognize the science, technology and innovation (STI) as a distinct sector in the country’s development. As a sector, STI now has a vote and budget of its own.
The ministry, as head of the STI sector, in collaboration with partners such as United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), is in the process of reviewing the National STI Policy of 2009. “Since 2009, a lot of things have changed globally.
A robust new policy will be ready by December 2018. It will have a seven-year focus; the remaining two years of the second National Development Plan and the five years of NDP III. And we will translate it into local languages,” Odongo pledged.
The ministry is also developing a sector strategic plan, an institutional framework for commercialization of Kiira electric vehicle project. It is also working on a Genetic Engineering and Biosafety Bill and amendment of the UNCST Act 2009 and UIRI Act 2003.
Odongo also said they have recruited 24 technical scientists and 78 common cadre staff (civil servants) out of the required 147. He said the ministry will soon run a permanent road show at the headquarters, to be accessed by the public at all times.
Collaborations with local research institutions, professional bodies/associations, private sector, NGOs and CSOs and international organizations such as Massachusetts Institute of Science and Technology are taking shape.
MINISTRY MANDATE
The mandate of the ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Odongo told the media, is to provide overall policy guidance and coordination for science, research, technology and the whole national innovation system in the country.
In pursuit of this mandate, the STI ministry will carry the mission of providing leadership, an enabling environment and resources for scientific research and knowledge-based development for industrialization, competitiveness and employment creation, leading to a sustainable economy. Odongo said their mission is subordinate to and in tandem with the country’s Vision 2040 and NDP II.
The statutory functions of MOSTI include formulation of policies, plans and programs pertaining to STI; identification of National STI priorities; coordination, implementation and evaluation of STI programs; and monitoring the utilization of STI by the public and private sectors for national development.
Other functions are enhancement of STI awareness and appreciation of STI’s crucial role in national development; providing technical support for Uganda’s bilateral and multilateral science and technology programs; and supporting public-private partnerships in STI.
The ministry is also in charge of improving the STI legal and regulatory framework, increasing the transfer and adaptation of technologies and enhancing research and development. It has the duty to facilitate development of human capital in STI to serve a knowledge and innovation-led economy, harness and increase homegrown research and development and nurture a creative and innovative culture.
Techno-preneurship will impart skills to artisans and researchers
To ease its work, the ministry established the following three directorates and 10 departments:
1. Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation Regulation
Being responsible for providing strategic leadership of all STI regulation, its key functions include guiding the development and implementation of STI policies, regulations, plans, priorities, standards and guidelines; coordinating the development and implementation of standards for quality research and development, innovations and products in biosciences physical sciences and social sciences in liaison with relevant institutions; overseeing the collaborative and cooperation initiatives for STI standards, regulations and compliance with international treaties and conventions; overseeing the integration of STI in the national development process; and overseeing the integration of standards and quality regulatory framework in STI in public and private sectors.
Its three departments: Department of Biosafety and Biosecurity; Department of Biosciences and Bioeconomy; and Department of Physical, Chemical and Social Sciences.
2. Directorates of Science, Research and Innovation
Charged with providing strategic leadership in science, research development and innovation, its key functions include coordinating the implementation of all research development and innovation; coordinating the application and dissemination of research development and innovation inputs; evolution and dissemination of innovation efforts; and leading the development and implementation of guidelines for the management of the innovation fund, policies, plans and programs for research promotion and development.
Other functions are coordinating the promotion of research and development of indigenous innovations for the purpose of facilitating indigenous knowledge system; reporting on implementation of policies, plan programs and guidelines on research development and innovation; providing strategic guidance in research registration and control, intellectual property, research infrastructure and coordination of research development and innovation; and providing leadership in identification and prioritization of new areas of STI and indigenous knowledge.
Its four departments are: Department of Research and Development; Department of Innovation and Intellectual Property Management; Department of Technology Development; and Department of STI Infrastructure Development.
3. Directorate of Techno-preneurship
Entrusted with providing strategic leadership for effective development, coordination and implementation of policies, strategies and programs of techno-prenuership in the sector, its key functions include coordinating STI skills development for artisans, inventors/innovators and researchers; initiating collaborations in STI for a mutual benefit in the directorate of techno-preneurship; and overseeing and leading the development of the criteria used to manage techno-prenuership systems.
Other functions are coordinating product testing, commercialization of products and services for start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs); coordinating the promotion of mentorship and science enterprise development; coordinating the establishment of product development facilities, innovation hubs and technology parks; and guiding linkages and partnerships between researchers, industrialists and business enterprises.
It has three departments: Department of Technology Uptake, Commercialization and Enterprise Development; Department of STI Skills Development; and Department of STI Advancement and Outreach.
jmusinguzi@observer.ug