Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Hon Dr Chris Baryomunsi, has called for the establishment of a Continental and Regional ICT Monetary Fund to accelerate digital transformation in East Africa.
Minister Baryomunsi made the appeal while delivering a keynote remarks at the 1st Advisory Council and 30th Annual Assemblies of the East African Communications Organisation (EACO), held in Juba in South Sudan, under the theme: “Shaping the Future of the East African Region Through Digital Transformation.”
While speaking at a Ministerial roundtable hosted at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Juba, Dr Baryomunsi emphasized the importance of a joint financing mechanism to expand ICT infrastructure, including last-mile connectivity of the National Backbone Infrastructure (NBI).
He argued that a regional fund would mitigate the bottlenecks often posed by international financiers, whose bureaucratic processes and stringent lending terms hinder timely digital development.
“Without fear of contradiction, I pointed out how some international banks and organizations impose conditions that are not suitable for our local context,” Dr Baryomunsi said.
In his opening address to the Advisory Council, Minister Baryomunsi lauded South Sudan’s progress since its independence and reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to regional cooperation and emphasized the urgency of harmonizing communications policy across East Africa as the world moves toward the Fifth Industrial Revolution.
Dr Baryomunsi also encouraged member states to learn from and adopt progressive ICT policies from neighboring countries, rather than spending excessive time developing new ones from scratch.
While speaking at the same event, the Executive Director of East African Communications Organisation Dr Ally Simba applauded Dr Baryomunsi’s presence, noting it as both phenomenal and symbolic of Uganda’s deep commitment to regional ICT growth.
Dr Simba also called for continued collaboration among member states to address challenges related to disruptive technologies such as 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Robotics and emphasized the need for robust policy formulation to support innovation and technology uptake.
The Executive Director of the National Communication Authority of South Sudan, Gieth Kon Mathiang Kun, echoed the need for regional digital infrastructure unification, particularly in areas like roaming services and celebrated South Sudan’s achievement in establishing a national data center, which is expected to reduce data costs and enhance e-governance and private sector service delivery through cloud technologies.
A representative from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Dr Doreen Bogdan-Martin praised South Sudan for its commendable steps toward modernizing its ICT sector and reiterated commitment to working with regional and global regulators to shape the digital ecosystem through standardization especially focusing on marginalized groups such as women and persons with disabilities (PWDs) to ensure inclusive digital transformation.
The Minister of Information and Communication Technology for South Sudan, Hon Michael Makuei Lueth welcomed delegates and dispelled misconceptions about South Sudan’s security situation.
“South Sudan is now peaceful and secure. I urge you all to be ambassadors of our country’s progress,” Minister Makuei said.
He acknowledged South Sudan’s status as the world’s youngest nation and called for collaborative efforts to integrate its 12 million citizens into the digital economy, citing ongoing fiber optic connections from Uganda as a significant milestone.
The Assembly concluded with the signing of regional agreements on information sharing and cybersecurity frameworks, marking a key step in enhancing data protection and regional cyber resilience.
