After 10 years of distinguished service, James Saaka, the Outgoing Executive Director, National Information Technology Authority ((NITA-U) on Monday, 17th August 2020, handed over office to Dr. Hatwib Mugasa, the incoming Executive Director.
Dr. Mugasa was appointed to the office by the Minister of ICT & National Guidance, Hon. Judith Nabakooba in July 2020.
Speaking at the handover, Saaka urged the team at NITA-U to further continue the Digitization journey that he passionately spearheaded over the last decade.
“It has been an honor for me to have been at the forefront of the Digital Revolution. I am thankful that H.E President Museveni, the ICT Ministers I have had the joy to serve under and the NITA Board, who have given me a platform to serve my country. A lot more needs to be done and I am confident that Dr. Mugasa will further the digital revolution.’’
Accepting office, Dr. Mugasa affirmed the Government’s commitment to delivering online Services.
“I am pleased to take on such a vital role in transforming service delivery in the country. We shall continue working tirelessly to ensure all Government services are online,’ he committed.
Commenting later on Twitter, Dr. Mugasa wrote: “I look forward to a successful and prosperous journey at NITA-U. I would like to thank the appointing authority, the Minister of ICT and the NITA-U Board for entrusting me with this responsibility.”
Present to witness the handover was the NITA-U Board led by the Chairman Mr. Johnson R, Musinguzi.
The man for the job; who is Dr. Hatwib Mugasa?
Mugasa holds a PhD., in Computational Mathematics and an MSc., Computer Science. He brings to the office over 15 years of experience in IT & Telecommunication Management, Leadership, and Academic Research. He is also an expert in software engineering, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity technology.
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He simultaneously enrolled for a Ph.D. in Computational Mathematics, majoring in Applied Mathematics, Statistics, and Computing.
Besides his academic qualifications, Dr. Mugasa also brings to the job a rich hands-on experience. Between October 2005 and February 2007, he worked as the Principal Software Engineer at Makerere University’s Faculty of Computing and IT, now renamed the College of Computing and Information Science.
After Makerere, in March 2007, he joined MTN Uganda as the Manager, System Support Analyst for four years. At MTN, he was the Technical Lead/IT Manager for the Mobile Money System deployment project. After MTN, he enrolled for the Lousiana Tech University’s dual degree program for a Ph.D. and Masters Degree.
Following the completion of his studies, he was hired by the Lousiana Tech University as a Researcher, at the University’s Data Mining Research Lab for 7 years until November 2019 when he returned home.
Commenting about Dr. Mugasa, Dr. Ali AlQahtani, an Assistant Professor at the Lousiana Tech University and former colleague, called him a hard-to-find standout talent and gifted individual.
“It’s rare that you come across standout talent like Dr. Mugasa. Not only that but also, he is a gifted individual with a rare combination of patience, spunk, and learning skills. Working with Dr. Mugasa showed me that an individual can have technical skills and be able to share them with others with grace. He was always willing to help with a gentle smile on his face and I witnessed his willingness to go above and beyond to finish his projects. Having Dr. Mugasa as a part of a team will provide a positive environment as well as growth to the team’s value,” Dr. AlQathani wrote on LinkedIn.
