The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has partnered with selected schools and Greening Uganda in response to the environmental challenges caused by climate change and human activity.
The Commission partnered with Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School in Gulu and Muntoyera High School in Kitunga to contribute to the environmental matters as part of a comprehensive, systematic and collective approach to greening Uganda.
The partnering schools provided the land and supervise the preparation and maintenance of all the processes associated with tree planting.
Greening Uganda delivers the technical expertise to the project while the Uganda Communications Commission supports the funding, coordination and implementation of the tree planting project. These activities are also aimed at creating awareness and promoting appropriate learning to support the environmental efforts within the country within the Commission’s sphere of influence.
“Today’s tree planting exercise coincided with the International Girls in ICT Day, and the Commission joined the rest of the world in promoting tech studies to girls by visiting Sacred Heart Girls Secondary School in Gulu. The girls were inspired by Engineer Rebecca Mukite, the Manager Public and International Relations at the UCC. She shared tips on making it in ICT and how anybody regardless of the background can leverage ICT in agriculture, education, tourism and catering,” UCC said in its latest blog.
It added that students were mesmerised to learn that the Uganda Communications Commission employs 160 staff of which 40% are female which is higher than the EACO standard of 35%. The chairperson of the board is female, Engineer Dorothy Okello, the Company Secretary and Director of Legal affairs are also female, Mrs Susan Wegoye who is also an old girl of Sacred Heart Girls Secondary School. The Commission has 9 Directorates, and out of the 9 Directors on the Top Management Team, five are female overseeing the directorates of Engineering and Communications Infrastructure, Industry Affairs and Content, Human Resource and Administration, Internal Audit and ICT and Research.
The Commission says it’s aware that some activities of organizations invariably have an impact on the environment no matter where they are located and may be associated with the organization’s use of resources, the location of the activities of an organization, the generation of pollution and wastes, and the impacts of the organization’s activities on natural habitats.
“To reduce the environmental impacts, the Commission believes that organisations should adopt an integrated approach that takes into consideration the direct and indirect economic, social, health and ecological implications of their activities,” UCC says.
“As a corporate citizen, the Commission is aware that society is facing many environmental challenges, including the depletion of natural resources, pollution, climate change, and destruction of habitats, and the degradation of human settlements. As Uganda’s population grows and consumption increases, fueled partly by the digitisation of products and services, these changes are increasing threats to social security and the health and well being of society,” it adds.
The Commission says it’s proud of the proof of concept in Communications regulation by its female leadership. During the recent staff meeting at UCC, Godfrey Mutabazi, the Executive Director said, “If you want something to work, even with obvious challenges, give it to a Woman.”
