Ambassadors Annual Retreat and Conference, January 5, 2015

Theme: Delivering on the Strategic Objectives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uganda

Topic: Effective Use of ICT Tools in Implementing Uganda’s Foreign Policy

Professor Venansius Baryamureeba, VC UTAMU, barya@utamu.ac.ug

Overview • ICT • Social Media• Public, commercial and economic diplomacy• Virtual/Electronic communication• E-Government • Cyber Security• How to protect your personal data

ICT• ICT is an acronym for Information Communications

Technology. ICT is concerned with the storage, retrieval, manipulation, transmission or receipt of digital data.

• ICT is an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning. ICTs are often spoken of in a particular context, such as ICTs in education, health care, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, etc.

Social Media Social media refers to interaction among people

in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Social media depend on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content. They introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communities, and individuals.

Social media / Internet CommunicationSocial Media:• Facebook www.facebook.com• Twitter www.twitter.comInternet Communication: • Skype www.skype.com• Viber www.viber.com• Whatsapp www.whatsapp.com Communication Equipment: • Mobile phone• Ipad / Laptop / Computer Social Media: Two way communication with citizens / others

Public Diplomacy Public diplomacy deals with the influence of public

attitudes on the formation and execution of foreign policies. It encompasses dimensions of international relations beyond traditional diplomacy; the cultivation by governments of public opinion in other countries; the interaction of private groups and interests in one country with those of another; the reporting of foreign affairs and its impact on policy; communication between those whose job is communication, as between diplomats and foreign correspondents; and the processes of inter-cultural communications. "Central to public diplomacy is the transnational flow of information and ideas."

Commercial DiplomacyCommercial diplomacy concerns an activity

conducted by public and private actors with diplomatic status to support business promotion between a home and host country. It aims at generating commercial gains in the form of trade and inward and outward investment by means of business and entrepreneurship promotion and facilitation activities in the host country

Economic Diplomacy Economic diplomacy is the use of the full spectrum

economic tools of the state to achieve its national interest. Economic diplomacy includes all the economic activities, including but not limited to export, import, investment, lending, aid, free trade agreements etc. Economic diplomacy deals with the nexus between power and wealth in international affairs.

What is E-Government?

• “E-Government is an ongoing process of transformation of Government towards the provision of government services (information, transactions) through electronic means, including access to government information and the completion of government transactions on an ‘anywhere, anytime’ basis.”

• PricewaterhouseCoopers

What is e-government ?

It is the transformation of government

to provide

EfficientConvenient &Transparent

Servicesto

the Citizens & Businesses

through Information & Communication Technologies

What is NOT e-Government ?

e-Government is not about ‘e’

but about government !

e-Government is not about computers & websites

but about citizens & businesses!

e-Government is not about translating processes

but about transforming processes !

What do leading nations aim in eGov?

• Interactive Public Services• Public Procurement• Public Internet Access Points• Broadband Connectivity• Interoperability• Culture & Tourism• Secure G2G Communications

The economic benefits of E-government

• Improve efficiency and quality

• One-stop-shop service delivery

• Cost effectiveness• Promote wider

adoption of e-commerce

13

Policy Objectives of E-Government

Web site for information dissemination

14

Electronic submission of information

Department-based interactive services

Integrated portal site to deliver one-stop shop services

Road map to E-Government

To develop the necessary information infrastructure

To adopt proper IT management practices

E-government initiatives

Training Culture

15

Top level commitment

High level implementation mechanism

The E-Government Strategy

Government Online: Government Information Portals

• Uganda National Web Portal: www.gov.ug• South Africa Government Online: www.gov.za• Official Website of the Government of Rwanda:

www.gov.rw• Government of Kenya Web Portal:

www.kenya.go.ke• Kenya e-government: www.e-government.go.ke

Key Weakness of Government of Uganda Websites

• Lack updated information• Not well structured – not easy to find

information• Non functional contacts especially e-mails• Dead links• Not integrated with Uganda National Web Portal:

the Uganda National Web Portal for lack of a better word is a national embarrassment!

Cyber Security• While rapid technological developments have provided vast

areas of new opportunity and potential sources of efficiency for governments, these new technologies have also brought unprecedented threats with them.

• Cyber security – defined as the protection of systems, networks and data in cyberspace – is a critical issue for all businesses and governments.

• Cyber security becomes more important as more devices, ‘the internet of things’, become connected to the Internet.

• As the number of mobile users, digital applications and data networks increase, so do the opportunities for exploitation: – Network outages, data compromised by hackers, data comprised

by naïve users, computer viruses & other incidents

PROTECT YOUR PERSONAL DATA WITH THESE TIPS

• Don't join unknown WiFi networks. Hackers sometimes set up WiFi networks to capture and store what users send, including their IDs and passwords.

• Don't Assume Privacy on Social Media• Don’t e-mail, Tweet, or post to Facebook anything you wouldn't

want made public. • Don't Open Suspicious E-mail• Be suspicious of any e-mail unless you know who sent it and have

reason to expect the e-mail. Hackers can make an e-mail look like it came from anyone.

• Protect Your Credit/Debit Card • Many financial institutions offer a feature where they will send

you an e-mail or sms whenever there is a large transaction (charge, withdrawal, etc.) against your account. Consider enabling that option. If someone illegitimately accesses your account, you will learn about it quickly.

Protecting Your System: Network (Internet) Security

• The Internet is simply a worldwide connection of computers and networks

• Protect Your Network from Outsiders– Implement applicable security measures like encryption software, virus

scanners, remote access regulations, and passwords– Isolate your network through the use of a firewall– Locate equipment and information that is intended for external

users outside of the firewall• Protect Transmissions Sent over the Internet

– Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Servers to secure financial and information transactions made with a Web browser

– Authenticate messages through the use of digital signatures– Authenticate messages through the use of time stamps or sequence

numbers– Authenticate message "receivers" through the use of digital certificates: – Encrypt all messages sent over the Internet

• I THANK YOU