Ugandan Gov’t Eyes Blockchain to Boost Public Sector Efficiency

The government of Uganda will look to adopt blockchain technology as it seeks to boost efficiency in the public sector, per one of the country’s top IT officials.

Vicente Bagiire Waiswa, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, said, per news outlet Daily Monitor, “The government is going to use blockchain technology wherever it is appropriate, to provide seamless services to the general public.”

Bagiire also added that he believes the use of blockchain technology will help the government reduce the amount of time citizens spend accessing government services such as tax payment platforms.

Writing for Ugandan newspaper The Observer, Jeff Mbanga, the paper’s business editor, urged the government to adopt a more proactive stance. Mbanga stated, “Government officials have to dive in with both feet and try to understand the digital market as soon as possible. Any attempt at blocking the blockchain market is simply futile.”

The move comes hot on the heels of the meeting between Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Changpeng Zhao, the founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, held in the East African country last month. Binance has announced it will partner with Uganda-based cryptocurrency company Crypto Savannah.