First Lady Janet Museveni to preside over celebrations of International Day of the Girl Child

Uganda will on Monday 11^th October 2021 join the global community to mark and celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child in conformity with the UN General Assembly resolution 66/170 of December 19^th, 2011.

The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote Girl empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.

The theme for this year’s celebration “Digital Generation. Our Generation”  

Hon. Sarah Nyirabashitsi the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs says the digital revolution is here and no one ought to be left behind. Adding that the proliferation of digital technology and digital services has made digital skills a prerequisite for full participation in society.

“Dear Ugandans, equipping girls and Women with digital skills puts them on equal footing with digitally savvy populations and opens up countless opportunities for women and girls in rapidly transforming economies. Therefore, the theme: “Digital Generation. Our Generation” provides a critical moment for advocacy with and for the girls. International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) 2021 presents a critical moment for engagement and an opportunity to hear the voices of a new generation of girls and gender advocates to unite towards bold, collective solutions that enable girls and young women to fully participate in the digital revolution” the minister said.

She added that the Government of Uganda recognizes that supporting girls and young women to develop digital skills translates into stronger girls, stronger women, stronger families, stronger communities and better technology. Digital skills are no longer optional but rather essential life skills required for full participation in society. These skills enable young women to enter into the labour market with the requisite skills, reducing the gender wage gap.

Hon. Nyirabashitsi says that Uganda has made progress to have affordable, accessible, resilient and secure digital infrastructure and connectivity across the country as a foundation to achieve the contribution of ICTs to overall National Development objectives. The total optical fibre network for both Government and private owned spans around 12,000 km covering 72 percent of all districts and 24 percent of the sub-counties.

“The cost of internet bandwidth has been progressively falling. The price of internet for Government has significantly dropped, from an average cost of 1 Mbps/month of USD 300 in 2015 to USD 70 in 2018 through NITA-U. The commercial Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have accordingly lowered their prices for 1 Mbps/month from an average of USD 515 in 2015, down to USD 237 in 2018. Uganda’s Vision 2040 acknowledges the potential of the ICT to accelerate development, create jobs and increase productivity. The Vision calls for a comprehensive skills development plan in addition to investment in ICT infrastructure and innovation” she added.

She called upon all Ugandans to embrace International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) as a moment to drive Action and Accountability of the Generation Equity Forum commitments made by State and non-state actors as we bridge the digital gender equality.

This year’s celebrations at the National Level will be conducted in a scientific mode in order to adhere to the SOPs. The main venue for the celebrations will be at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. This function will be presided over by the Hon. Minister of Education and Sports/First Lady Janet Kataaha Museveni.

During the International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) week 6^th – 10^th October 2021, there will be activities including; Girl’s e-conference, Women leaders’ Empowerment Round Table Discussions, TV and Radio Talk Shows, Social Media platforms engagement, Girls take overs.