Away from Public-Private Rhetoric

My company, an Australian ICT firm, is looking to open an East Africa office in Kampala later this year. I would like your thoughts on some issues we are facing. At large, amongst government, multilaterals and other large organisations, though there is much positive rhetoric... there appears still much practical hesitancy to partner with the foreign business community.

In many instances, the very groups that are trying to develop these countries (NGO sector) are preventing growth. It is well agreed now that business solutions which open up the economy, provide jobs, inspire innovation and market competitiveness are the long-term cost effective way forward for Africa, not aid dependency.

Instead of embracing willing foreign firms, we are finding many in Uganda (in government and multilaterals) are holding to the idea of donated solutions, and fearful for partnering with private sector.

Such non-private solutions are less specialised, less scalable and do not understand long term project strategy. Additionally, they often struggle to identify phased capacity building initiatives which are at the heart of private sector solutions.

It is our belief that unless governments and multilaterals move on from their rhetoric and truly embrace the private sector specialist sectors such as ICT will not develop in Uganda.

Nathan Clarke
Studytech, Australia
ICT Investor