The Ugandan government aims to connect the entire population to the Internet as part of its digital transformation ambitions. According to the latest statistics from the telecom regulator, Uganda has 25 million Internet users for a penetration rate of 60%.

The Ugandan government plans to provide high-speed internet connectivity to refugee camps across the country. This was revealed by Amina Zawedde, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and National Orientation, on Saturday June 24.

This initiative is part of Uganda’s Universal Digital Transformation Acceleration Program. This program is supported by the World Bank, which recently granted a loan of 1,800 billion shillings ($489.4 million) to the Ugandan government for its implementation. It has a number of components, including improving and extending internet connectivity to last mile communities.

“  This means that when the internet comes to a hospital, school, government offices or any other facility, the labs and administrative offices are connected so that those people can make better use of the internet,  ” Ms. Zawedde explained.

Internet connectivity is expected to provide refugees with the infrastructure they need to educate themselves, learn new languages, acquire various job skills and improve their livelihoods. Uganda hosts around 1.5 million refugees, according to estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Source: Agence Ecofin