Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation(UPPC) has officially launched the digitized the Uganda Gazette which aims to enhance both accessibility and affordability in response to the requirements of the digital age.
This was during the inaugural stakeholder engagement day at Hotel Africana aimed at improving customer satisfaction by gathering valuable feedback.
At the same function, UPPC also launched an online bookshop and GovInfoHub, a digital platform designed to bridge the information gap between the government and the public.
Prof. Sudi Nangoli, the Managing Director of UPPC, said the E-Gazzette will enable the public to submit documents electronically from any location.
"Over the years the Uganda Gazette which is our flagship product over the years, it has been available only as a traditional newspaper. We are now pleased to introduce the E-Gazzette enabling the public to submit documents electronically from wherever you are in this country. The Declaration of the Gazette not only enhances convenience, but also significantly reduces the time required for submission and publication,” Prof. Nangoli said.
“You no longer need to move to our offices. You just have to use the gadget in your hand to do all the services and have you yourself in because it provides a seamless end to end experience making it easier to access the official government newspaper."
Speaking about the online bookshop, Nangoli said it will make their vast collection of their publications easily accessible to everyone.
"Additionally, our online bookshop is another milestone in our digital transformation journey. It makes our vast collection of publications easily accessible to everyone reflecting our commitment to leveraging technology in providing better services and making our products globally available."
He noted that the engagement also seeks to strengthen the existing relationships with their customers.
"UPPC today seeks to strengthen the existing relationships with you, nurture new partnerships with you and to showcase up our latest innovations."
Nangoli announced that the corporation has installed the latest digital machines, enabling 24-hour printing instead of the previous eight-hour schedule.
"In line with Uganda's digitization strategy, I am pleased to share that UPPC has recently enhanced its capacity to execute high quality jobs through the installment of the latest digital machines. We are now able to have a digital printing at another level that's enabling us to reduce the turnaround time. We now have clients who bring their jobs at midnight and by 3am they have very good products so we were open 24 hours. In the past people knew us as open at 8am and close at 5pm government opens at eight at five."
Emily Nakkazi from NITA Uganda stated that the portal is hosted at the national data centre emphasizing that it will empower the public by providing convenient access to knowledge.
"UPPC is putting our country on the world map by digitising our gazette. The advantage of getting the gazette digital, is to improve service delivery and also to empower the public with the knowledge they should have at their convenience. At the comfort of your home, you will be able to access the UPPC portal and all the gazette that you want without labouring to their offices in Entebbe."
In remarks delivered by Robert Kasule Ssebunya, Prime minister Robinah Nabbanja emphasized the importance of UPPC fostering strong relationships with stakeholders and it's customers in order to address challenges facing the sector.
"You should foster collaboration among stakeholders to drive innovation because working together with help to address challenges and search for opportunities in the publishing sector." Nabbanja said.
Nabbanja highlighted that prioritizing customer-centric service delivery establishes a standard for excellence in public service.
"In today's competitive market, open dialogues amongst stakeholders are crucial. UPPC's commitment to understanding and meeting customer needs sets a benchmark for excellence in our public services."