| dc.description.abstract | The main purpose of this study was to analyze the digital transformation of urban refugees in Kampala, Uganda. The study was guided by a number of related objectives which included the following; to identify the extent to which urban refugees use digital technologies; to establish the digital needs of urban refugees; investigate the barriers to digital transformation of urban refugees; and to recommend solutions to these barriers for urban refugees in Kampala, Uganda to better use digital technologies.
The study adopted a descriptive research design using a qualitative methodology. A sample of 10 urban refugees from Bakuli-Mengo; a suburb in Kampala Uganda were interviewed. Purposive sampling was the applied sampling technique and data was collected through face to face and mobile phone semi-structured interviews. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim and data collection occurred concurrently with data analysis. All data emerging from interviews and field notes informed data analysis with careful line-by-line analysis of the transcripts, and iterative analysis. Data analysis involved; delineating units of meaning from the data, clustering units of meaning to form thematic statements, and extracting themes. Connections between themes were used to provide answers to the questions raised by this study.
Key findings of this study revealed that urban refugees mostly use mobile technologies for communication, social media, learning purposes, mobile money transactions, information and for leisure such as to watch movies. While they were previously exposed to some of these technologies, the Covid-19 pandemic amplified their use of certain technologies such as the e- learning platforms for students. However, there was also a negative impact on their use of said technologies as they lack the technical know-how and had challenges accessing internet and cellular data. The urban refugees stated to have multiple digital needs such as; internet access, digital gadgets, need for training, and more generally the financial needs. Additionally, they encounter barriers such as government interference, social media tax and expensive nature of technological goods and services. It is therefore upon the various stakeholders such as government, aid agencies and the private sector to stand in the gap and create initiatives that will foster digital transformation for the urban refugees. Future research can shed some light on these topics and guide donors, aid agencies, private companies, and NGOs to collectively provide better services and more access with fewer resources | en_US |
