6. Mobilize and sensitise communities about the importance of usage of IT in their day-today economic activities 7. Facilitate and encourage the use of IT by special interest groups to make them more productive in the society and utilize this largely untapped human resource. (Special interest groups include: women, youth and PWDs). 8. Encourage use of open source software and low cost commercial versions of software for normal operations 9. Encourage the setting up of a “content industry”, comprising of local content and translation to local languages. 10. Organise annual special events to show case the development, application and benefits of embracing and using IT. 11. Encourage the use of Internet and Intranet for inter-office communication within government. 2.6 National IT Standards There is very little that has been done in regards to developing national standards and regulation pertaining to the IT subsector. Most standards are still in draft form and where they exist, they are not implemented. In devising a useful regulatory framework, the focus would be on creating a fair, equitable and competitive environment, based on the principles of free market and open access. To this end the Government of Uganda shall: Policy Strategies 1. 2. 3. 4. Develop guidelines and set standards for software and hardware development, through public and private partnerships. Develop and set standards for IT equipment importation Provide technical guidance to MDAs, including standards for software and hardware usage Monitor compliance to set standards. 10