Africa-Press – Uganda. The executive director of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Ms Dorothy Kisaka, has called for strong partnerships to tackle issues affecting society.
During a virtual international conference in Kampala yesterday, in commemoration of World Cities Day, Ms Kisaka said challenges such as rapid urbanisation, unemployment and under employment can effectively be addressed through collaborations.
The day was held under the theme: “Resilience in the face of diversity”.
“We must collaborate with other cities through different forums such as the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organisation (WeGO) and Africa Smart Towns Network (ASTON). Through collaborative networks between cities, we can work to strengthen the capacity of our cities to design and implement solutions to urban challenges,” Ms Kisaka said.
“From a policy standpoint, cities must prioritise policies that promote diversity, increase production, export competitiveness, and investment in skills development, productive job creation and capacity retention,” she added.
The 2016/2017 Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) indicates that unemployment is highest in Kampala City (21 percent) and lowest in West Nile (3 percent). Of the unemployment working age population, 13 percent are females and 6 percent males. The unemployment rate for youth aged 18 to 30 stands at 13.3 percent. Many urban poor rely on petty jobs to earn a living.
Ms Kisaka revealed that Kampala was championing a Smart City campaign to improve service delivery based on the three cores of developing technology, infrastructure and improvising the wellbeing of city dwellers.
Kampala is part of the WeGO and ASTON, the platforms that bring together smart cities of the world.
She said the WeGO Executive Committee Meeting 2022 would trigger a new discussion for cities approaching towards inclusiveness and resilience amid economic challenges.
Ms Kisaka called on ASTON and WeGO members to explore investment opportunities in Kampala, and also enjoy the weather among the many attractions.
During the conference, participants shared insights on measures to develop agile cities and the key role of citizens as contributors to policy and implementation of smart cities.
Partnerships
The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organisation (WeGO) was established by 50 founding members in 2010 as an association of cities and other local governments, smart tech solution providers, the national and regional cities into smart sustainable cities.
WeGO’s secretariat is based in Seoul and supported by regional offices in Africa (Abuja Nigeria), East Asia (Chengdu, China), Eurasia( Ulyanovsk Region, Russia), the Mediterranean (Beyglu, Turkey) and Latin America (Mexico city).
It has more than 200 members around the world which serve as their international platform to improve the quality of life, innovate in the delivery of public services, and strengthen regional cooperation.
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