By:
Kanto Kai Okanta
The
ICT Association of Uganda has partnered with the Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation to convened a two-day strategic roundtable to shape
Uganda’s digital transformation roadmap ahead of the 3rd National ICT Summit
2026.
The
discussions are anchored on the theme “From Connectivity to Intelligence:
Leveraging AI, Digital Infrastructure and Innovation to Accelerate Uganda’s
Tenfold Growth to a USD 500 Billion Economy by 2040,” and bring together
government officials, private sector leaders, academics, innovators and
development partners.
Opening
the session, ICTAU Chairperson Elizabeth Ntege urged participants to move
beyond dialogue and focus on practical, sector-specific solutions that can be
implemented to accelerate Uganda’s digital economy transformation. She
emphasized that the effectiveness of the summit process will ultimately be
measured by implementation outcomes rather than the breadth of discussions.
Representing
the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, economist Trevor L.
highlighted that Uganda’s long-term economic ambition requires structural
transformation driven by science, technology and innovation rather than growth
alone. He called for identification of binding constraints within the economy
and the design of targeted technological interventions to address them.
Participants
were then divided into three thematic working groups focused on
agro-industrialisation, tourism development, and minerals development including
oil, gas and energy. These groups examined sector-specific challenges and
opportunities for deploying artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and
innovation to improve productivity and competitiveness.
The
outputs from these working sessions are expected to inform sector roadmaps and
policy recommendations that will feed into the 3rd National ICT Summit 2026,
providing a structured framework for implementation and multi-stakeholder
collaboration.
The
initiative reflects Uganda’s broader strategy to transition from basic digital
connectivity to an “intelligence-driven” economy, where artificial intelligence
and advanced digital systems play a central role in enhancing value creation,
efficiency and global competitiveness across key productive sectors.
