Hon Frank K Tumwebaze, the minister of ICT and National Guidance has launched a committee of experts to help him review and look into the operations of UBC and it’s channels, report and to advise him on how best he can turn it around as an effective national broadcaster.
Below is a statement that he gave
Colleagues, Staff of the Ministry and agencies, Members of the Press, Our Special guests today, Ladies and Gentlemen;
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. This will be a short ceremony and its objective is to commission a review committee of professionals in various disciplines that will look into the operations of the national broadcaster (UBC),its TV and radio channels.
UBC has great potential to shine both within the country and on the airwaves worldwide. It is my intention therefore to have a strong and well managed national broadcaster able to cover the whole country, fully close the gap left by the private players and help to tell a true story about Uganda’s rich heritage.
We believe we have the infrastructure, we have the people, we have the ideas and we have the drive to make this happen, as Ugandans. But before we embark on all these ambitious initiatives, it is important to carry out a complete scan on the institution, so that the policies made by Cabinet as well as decisions made by the Board and the staff of UBC are well-informed.
It is for this reason that I am privileged today to commission a team of experts who have proven themselves in different fields, and task them to spend some time and effort doing a Review and Assessment of UBC and its respective channels. This Review will run for at least one month and at most two months.
The Committee will liaise very closely with the Board of UBC and with the Ministry.
I am happy to unveil them to you this morning, as follows:
Dr. Peter G. Mwesige: The Committee will be chaired by Dr. Peter G. Mwesige, who is a well-known media professional with many years’ experience, and who champions media excellence and professionalism not only in Uganda but across the continent. Dr. Mwesige is absent today because of some prior engagement that he must conclude in order to fully dedicate time to this Committee for the next one month.
Ms. Peace Piwang: Peace, is a Human Resource professional with outstanding experience in identifying and managing talent, and leading transformation initiatives in large organisations. Her skills at managerial competencies, building efficient teams and empowering human resource assets have been well-noted in various organisations and will be useful at UBC.
Mr. Adolf Mbaine: Adolf, is a seasoned, professional journalist with a highly respected track record, a media manager of senior standing, as well as an Academician. He has been at the helm of producing some of the best journalists we have in Uganda today and devotes a lot of time to building onto the body of knowledge in professional journalism.
Mr. Andrew Kibaya: Andrew, is an advocate of the high court with solid experience in corporate and commercial law, and a good grounding in banking and finance. He is globally ranked as a distinguished lawyer in Uganda and recognised by the International Finance Law Review and Chambers Global.
Mr. Peter Okello Jabwelli: Peter Okello, is a media and communications professional with many years’ experience working with the media in Uganda. He has also worked at senior management levels with the Government of Uganda and is currently on the Uganda Media Council as a professional in the field.
Mr. Odrek Rwabwogo: Odrek, is a senior journalist, a public relations and communications professional, as well as a farmer and entrepreneur. Odrek has many years’ experience as a journalist, and also as a public relations manager and consultant. As an entrepreneur he has successfully applied himself at a number of initiatives that have changed Uganda’s business landscape significantly. He has passion for harnessing and adding value to our own domestic resources and gradually growing big. He is a strong critique of government’s tax policy mainly on agri-busineses.
Eng. Kato Bitarabeho: Eng. Kato, is an engineering and ICT professional, as well as an entrepreneur. His experience over the last fifteen years has had him deliver successful projects in Uganda, Gabon, the Congo and Zambia. He has broad experience in Television and Radio Broadcast infrastructure, as well as Telecommunications and Wireless systems.
The Committee will also be given additional support by technical officers that we will identify.
The terms of reference of the committee will include:
- An Organisational Capacity Assessment
- Studying the Quality of Content and Services of all UBC channels
- Assessing the innovative capacity of UBC
- Benchmarking ways on how Governments support national broadcasters.
Thank you So Much
Frank Tumwebaze, MP
MINISTER OF ICT AND NATIONAL GUDANCE