Launched at an event celebrating International Women's Day (IWD) in Kiruhura District, the DigiTruck project is a part of Huawei's TECH4ALL initiative, the company's long-term initiative for driving inclusion and sustainability across the globe.
President Yoweri Museveni commented, "I launched the Huawei DigiTruck project in Uganda, a project that will benefit over 10,000 Ugandans in a span of three years, especially Jua-Kali, enterprise owners, women, young girls and students through Digital Skilling." He added that digital transformation is one of the key drivers of effective human capital development; therefore, it gives him pleasure to launch this Huawei project.
Running in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, Gender and Social Development and the international social enterprise Close the Gap, the Uganda DigiTruck project is aligned with the nation's 2040 vision, the National Development Plan and the Education Digital Agenda Strategy. The focus of these initiatives includes promoting digital foundation skills, digital communications and information, digital transactions, using the Internet for problem-solving, online safety, civic responsibility and data privacy.
Converted from used shipping containers, DigiTrucks are truck-mounted mobile classrooms that can be driven to remote communities that lack training facilities. Each 40-hour course trains students in digital literacy skills such as how to use devices, office software and the Internet, along with soft skills such as writing a resume, applying for jobs online and running an online business. Connected by 4G, the Uganda DigiTruck can accommodate 20 learners in one session and comes equipped with a Huawei IdeaHub smart screen, smartphones and laptops. As all devices are solar-powered, DigiTrucks can serve communities that lack a power supply.
Huawei has so far run DigiTruck projects in Kenya, Ghana and France with a focus on bringing digital skills to people that are most likely to be left behind in the digital world, including rural communities, the elderly, unemployed youth, people with disabilities and women.
