Posta Uganda launches 20 Tele-centers across Uganda
In a bid to modernize its services, Posta Uganda commissioned twenty Tele-centers across Uganda during a colorful ceremony that was presided over by the Mayor of Lira Municipality, at Lira Post Office, on 11th December 2009.
The modern internet communication centers will offer a wide range of services such as:
1. E-mail and Internet services
2. Fax
3. Document scanning
4. Secretarial services.
In his speech, the Managing Director of Posta Uganda Mr. James Arinaitwe said “The centers will offer high speed internet services and secretarial services at rates which the rural population can easily afford. Our Tele-centers will go a long way to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban Uganda, by providing rural communities with reliable ICT services.”
In her speech, the Chairperson of the Board, Eng. Proscovia Nujki said, “I want to thank all those who have partnered with us in our transformation process. I wish to extend our deep appreciation to our regulator the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and through them the Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF) Board for arranging the grant facility of US$300,000 from the World Bank which enabled us to set up twenty fully-fledged Tele-centres all over the country. The centers will offer internet, telephone, fax, and photocopy services. The following centres have been completed: Lira, Arua, Gulu, Hoima, Masindi, Busia, Iganga, Jinja, Mbale, Soroti, Tororo, Entebbe, Luweero, Mubende, Mukono, Fort Portal, Kabale, Kasese, Mbarara, Masaka. We are therefore very grateful to UCC, RCDF Board, and the World Bank for this noble grant, and we pledge to use these centers to the maximum benefit of all people across the country.
The Mayor of Lira and Chief Guest at the launch thanked Posta Uganda for having decided to invest in the setting up of the centre so as to enable the local population in Lira to get hooked on to the World Wide Web and keep abreast with the rest of the world. He said that the investment was timely given that for a long time, Lira was without affordable, reliable and easily accessible internet services.
The function drew many and the prominent figures included; Hon. Jimmy Akena, MP for Lira, Hon. Okumu Reagan, Chairperson of the Commission on Statutory and State Enterprises-Parliament, Commissioners of the Rural communications Development Fund (RCDF) and officials from Uganda Communications Commission.
Tele-center project was made possible through a World Bank grant which was channeled through Uganda Communications Commission’s Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF), and is in line with Posta Uganda’s Universal Service Obligation which compels Posta Uganda to extend postal services to every corner of Uganda. .
The Mayor of Lira officially opens the Tele-centers during the function held on 11th December 2009, at Lira Post Office.
Hon. Jimmy Akena area MP for Lira surfs the web as Hon. Regan Okumu and James Arinaitwe the MD of Posta Uganda look on.
