Partnerships key for Uganda's digital transformation – Regulator

For Uganda to be a fully digital country, it requires strategic and smart partnerships.

That's the sentiment of Collin Babirukamu, e-government services director at the National Information Technology Authority – Uganda (NITA-U) who believes the country's partnerships with international companies like China's Huawei have been fruitful.

Speaking at the Huawei Eco-Connect 2023 conference in Johannesburg, South Africa recently, Babirukamu said for the past ten years NITA-U and Huawei have been building the country's National Backbone Infrastructure (NBI) project.

The project has rolled out over 4,172 km of backbone fiber cable connecting 1,400 sites in 63 districts in Uganda.

"Through the project, we have managed to build multiple data centers and we have managed to connect government departments across the country," Babirukamu added.

Furthermore, Babirukamu said through the project, Uganda has set up 526 Wi-Fi hotspots and is currently rolling out its last mile fiber cable that will extend connectivity giving citizens access to even more e-government services.

"We are working with other stakeholders to also ensure that we bring down the cost of Internet in our country," he continued.

Uganda's National Backbone Infrastructure (NBI) project has set up 526 Wi-Fi hotspots to connect underserved communities. (Source: Image by Freepik).

"All the digital strides the country has been making is because of the collaboration we have had with companies like Huawei," Babirukamu said.

The success of the NBI project has brought many benefits in the East African country.

"By digitalizing government processes NITA-U has managed to save the country more than 4 trillion Uganda Shillings ($1.1 billion) annually in direct public expenditure," he explained.

Uganda's digital transform plans

Babirukamu's address is in line with the country's Vision 2040 strategy, which is a roadmap that seeks to optimize Uganda's capabilities in every sector including ICT.

The country recently announced that it had partnered with the World Bank to launch the Universal Digital Acceleration Program which would provide refugees with Internet connectivity to their camps.

Uganda's quest to connect the underserved has seen the country Parliament approve a $140 million loan from the World Bank, with funds earmarked for a major digital project to improve Internet connectivity in November 2022.

The East African country has been working toward connecting the country, so much so that in May 2023 the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) invited applicants for its planned sale of 5G spectrum, which it intended to complete by the middle of August.

However, the regulator fast-tracked the process and awarded 5G-capable spectrum to the country's two main mobile network operators, MTN and Airtel last week.

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*Top image source: Image by Allexxandar on Freepik

— Matshepo Sehloho, Associate Editor, Connecting Africa