KAMPALA – A publishing masterclass will on Thursday 24th February 2022, be conducted at Makerere University as part of pre-conference activities leading up to the National Conference on Communications (NCC) to be held in May 2022.
The masterclass is the fourth out of five lined up, the first three having been held at Kyambogo University (February 4), Mbarara University of Science and Technology (February 10), and Ndejje University (February 15). The last masterclass is to be held at Busitema University on March 4, 2022.
The College of Engineering, Design, Art, and Technology (CEDAT) at Makerere University, and the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), are jointly organising the 7th National Conference on Communications, which is scheduled for May 2022.
The Commission initiated the conference in 2010 to offer students, researchers, academia, and practitioners a platform to identify new research challenges, share solutions and discuss issues relevant to the communications sector in Uganda.
With the call for technical papers open until March 14, 2022, the objective of publishing masterclasses is to train researchers on the standard technical publishing formats. The workshops, which are conducted both physically and online, are open to all interested individuals.
In line with the Uganda Communications Act (2013), the Commission is mandated to promote research into the development and use of new communication technologies; to improve communications services generally and ensure equitable distribution of services throughout the country; and to collaborate with educational instructions to promote specialised education in the field of research.
The NCC seeks to tackle this mandate by providing the following:
- A national forum for presenting outputs of peer-reviewed research into solutions for local challenges and proposals to improve ICTs.
- A platform for discussion of local challenges and industry trends by stakeholders (industry, Government, and academia).
- Facilitate networking of young professionals with senior practitioners and accredited training institutions.
Commenting on the upcoming conference, the Ag. Executive Director Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo said NCC offers students, researchers, solution developers and other industry actors an opportunity to identify new research areas, share ideas about possible solutions to everyday challenges, and discuss issues relevant to the development of the communications sector.
Topics of interest at this year’s conference include the Internet of Things (IoT), communication systems, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, blockchain applications, ICT infrastructure for technology hubs and ICT security issues in developing countries, among others.
Meanwhile, the organisers have added the National Student Challenge in Cyber Security to the NCC2022 line up of activities. The challenge is part of the Africa-wide picoCTF-Africa competition, a computer security competition for high school, undergraduate and graduate students across the continent. Winners stand to win monetary prizes, as well as have their work presented at the three-day conference.
The NCC2022 secretariat has also incorporated a school ICT club component, aiming to facilitate networking of young students with industry professionals as well as giving the students an opportunity to contribute to solving day-to-day challenges in the ICT industry.
The move further seeks to build capacity in innovation, research, and paper writing/publishing at secondary school level, and to inspire, nurture, and facilitate Ugandan youth to develop a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship while leveraging ICTs.
The first NCC was hosted by Makerere University in September 2011, just as the 6th edition in March 2021. Other previous hosts have been Ndejje University (2014) and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (2016).
