Govt set to test fly locally made drones, says Dr.Musenero
Drake Nyamugabwa
By Darlington Mabonga
Uganda is set to join the world club of manufacturers of high tech drones which development would put the country at another level in terms of creating its own locally generated technologies to foster the job creation agenda of the government.
The development has been made by the minister of science technology and innovation office of the president Dr.Monica Musenero Masanza during an exclusive interview with this website on Monday in Namugongo Wakiso district
She pointed out that Uganda working with her Universities including Makerere, Mbarara University of science and technology [MUST] and Busitema university respectively are jointly working on the new locally innovated and manufactured drones for non military operations.
‘We are going to carry out a test fly operation next year for our locally manufactured drones and this is likely to put the country at a new high level in terms of starting up its own high tech innovative projects that foster economic development’ noted the Minister from Butebo district.
Dr Musenero joins a delegation of Ugandans from the dispora recently during an engagement in Kampala December 19
She congratulated all the local engineers, innovators and researchers from the Universities for putting up a good job saying much as the government would be importing the drone parts currently, plans are under way to have them manufactured here locally thus create more job opportunities for the Ugandan youth.
She challenged the youth to embrace the study for science IT based courses such that they can effectively tap into this new drone technology program which would call for more experts to work in the sector.
The minister observed that if the country had its own drones earlier, disasters such as mudslides occurring in Bududa, Kasese and Bulambuli would never have happened because the drones can be deployed for surveillance and detection purposes to inform the technical people for timely prevention purposes.
