Africa-Press – Uganda. Maticent Industries Uganda Limited, a technology company, has launched the Bbala Initiative aimed at providing computers to Ugandan learners on credit as one of the ways to bridge the digital divide in Africa.
Speaking during the launch of the initiative at Speke Resort Hotel, Munyonyo in Kampala on Friday, the company CEO, Eragy Bashonga Alpha said the initiative will see university students given computers on credit and they will be able to pay within a period of two years.
“This is our bold move to promote technology in education by equipping every student with a computer by giving them enough time to pay for them. We give them up to two years of paying back the computer,” Bashonga said.
He explained that the company which has set up in Uganda will locally manufacture the computers with a capacity of about 25,000 computers per month.
According to Bashonga, students can apply for the computers from the company offices in Kololo and the company would then confirm if they are actually enrolled in the said university.
“After being approved the student needs to pay 20% of the computer and they have up to two years to pay back the computer they are using. The computers we are giving out are an African brand made by ourselves which include laptops, desktops and tablets.”
He said the computers cost between shs1.5 million and shs7million, depending on what one wants to use them for.
Bashonga explained that unlike many, their computers have been made with rural settings in mind, noting that they have a 4G sim slot and therefore no modems are needed.
“Most of the desktop on the market are made in such a way that if there is no power, they don’t work but ours are different. We managed to incorporate an Uninterrupted Power Supply system in that when power goes, you still have up to four powers to use the computer.”
He said the model has been successfully applied in Democratic Republic of Congo where they have supplied over 15,000 computers to students.
The State Minister for Investment and Privatization, Evelyn Anite welcomed the entrance of the company into the Ugandan market as investors.
She said Maticent Industries will not only create jobs but will also help bridge the digital divide.
“What Maticent Industries is doing is building an integrated and self-sustaining economy by embracing technology. For example I first encountered computer when I was at the university.Computers were so scarce to the extent that the entire university had 30 computers and we had to queue up,” Anite said.
“This initiative of ensuring students get up to two years of repayment time will ensure Ugandans who don’t have cash upfront will actually have an opportunity of acquiring computers for themselves.”
Anite allayed any fears about the quality of the computers.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs at Victoria University is Professor Augustine Osamor Ifelebuegu who also graced the launch welcomed the initiative that he said will go a long way in helping bridge the digital divide.
He said with each learning having a computer, education will be revolutionalised.
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