The findings showed that overall there was an increase in the use and application of ICTs in Rural and Urban areas. This was correlated by previous studies and was found to be mainly to due various factors like, the favourable policy environment, reduction of tariffs on electronics, increase in use and availability of refurbished computers, affordable costs of new electronic equipment compared to the previous years and the increase in the number of NGO and private sector initiatives.

The rate of Internet use is positively correlated with the levels of socioeconomic development, including the purchasing power of individuals, the availability of information technologies and telecommunication infrastructures.

The liberalization of the acquisition, use and application of ICT has led to a rapid expansion of the ICT industry in Uganda . Various technologies have been adopted and these include cellular and mobile telephones, networks, mobile radio communication, paging services, courier services and multi-purpose community tele-centres. There has also been an expansion of print media as well as an increased number of private radio and television stations.

In Uganda the national ICT policy framework approved by Cabinet in December 2003 envisions a country where national development, especially human development and good governance are sustainably enhanced, promoted and accelerated by the efficient application and use of ICTs including timely access to information. Information as a resource for development.

ICT fighting poverty in Uganda

Fax in contrast to other ICTs in the rural area carried low use at 8.4%. Use of the fax is mainly related to the formal workplace especially in interacting with formal institutions like banks, donors, government offices, and parent institutions.

In a comparative study done by Paul Tiyambe Zeleza in East Africa, most specifically in Kenya and Uganda, between December 2000 to February 2005, available data indicates that Uganda had 125,000 internet users from 40,000 in December 2000, entailing a growth rate of 212.5% and a penetration rate of 0.5 % percent in 2005.4 In 2005, Uganda formed 1% of the internet users on the continent and was ranked 13th on the continent. The most recent Internet usage statistics (September 2007) indicate that Uganda with an estimated population of 28,574,909 now has 750,000 internet users. Since the study by Tiyambe in 2005 from 125,000 there was an increase in internet users to 750,000 by September 2007. The penetration rate grew from 0.5% in 2005 to 2.6% in 2007. On the continental rating, from 1% of internet users, the percentage has risen to 1.7%. The growth rate by September 2007 was 1,775% from 212.5% in 2005.

In this survey, use of internet/email in communicating with like minded organisations was 58.2%, communicating with affiliated member NGOs was 42.8%, with parent organisation at 38.6% and for interoffice or business was 30.5%.

There are different reasons, organisation based in rural areas and urban areas use internet and email for communicating. Table 3.4 shows the difference in use of the services. In communication with like-minded organisations, the use of email and internet was at 73.2% for urban based organisation as compared to 50.3% in rural areas. The higher use of these services by urban based organisations confirms that telecommunications infrastructure are better in urban towns compared to the rural areas. In communication with parent organisations, 48.2% were urban based and 36.5% were rural based. The reasons could be the same as communication with like- minded organisations. In communicating with affiliated organisations, 55.4% were urban based and 35.3% were rural based. For business, urban based organisations used the internet/email more their rural based counterparts at 48.2% compared to 19.8% of rural based.

Generally there has been growth of ICT infrastructure in Uganda . In a study by Kintu Fred et al on early lessons from ICT projects in Uganda , from 1996 to 2004 the growth in the number of fixed telephone lines had risen from 46,000 to 71,272. More impressively, mobile phone subscribers increased from 3,500 to an incredible 987,456 in the same period. The government also planned to award service agreements to three or more Internet service providers to render universal Internet access services (through Internet Points of Presence) in 32 designated districts. However the number of telecommunications providers has also increased since 2004. This trend in growth is correlated with statistics on Uganda ’s Internet Usage from the Internet World statistics which showed a growth rate between 2000 to 2007 at 1,775%.

The growth in the ICT sector is but one aspect of Uganda's impressive first steps into what some call "the new economy," the knowledge and information economy. It is also essential to understand the various ways in which projects or experiences using ICTs can have an impact on the most important aspects of Ugandan life: governance, education, health and livelihood.

ICT is an important catalyst for social transformation and national progress. Disparities in levels of ICT readiness and usage could translate into disparities in levels of productivity and hence, different rates of economic growth. It is also important to observe that ICTs can lead to economic growth but not development. In the absence of other mitigating measures, usually only the skilled and highly educated benefit from ICT-engineered growth. The social exclusion of large groups of persons especially women, children and people living in rural areas, is a common phenomenon when adequate planning has not accompanied ICT exploitation.

Providing access to rural areas is a big challenge generally in Uganda . On the supply side limiting factors include infrastructure, maintenance, equipment supplies, staff capacity and transport. On the demand side the limiting factors include money, awareness on how these services can be used to improve livelihoods. In rural areas the focus is not so much on the information/knowledge society, but on what these ICTs can offer individuals and communities who are in better need of better services and livelihood.

The role of cultural factors including language cannot be overlooked in the development and impact of ICTs especially the Internet. The dominance of European languages, especially English has been a limiting factor in the growth of Internet use in many parts of Africa . In this sense the Internet excludes not only the illiterate but those with low English literacy levels, who in most cases mean those without secondary education. The question of language must be taken seriously and is part of the larger question of the cultural content of ICT products and services.

There is no question that the full potential of the Internet for Africa will only be realized if indigenous languages, the languages of the majority in African countries are fully incorporated. If the development of local content is left to software developers, this will result in loss of control and ownership over the language, as software and hardware designers in far away places set new protocols of linguistic standardization as is already happening to some languages in several parts of the world.

Emerging issues and recommendations