Digital transformation: Uganda explores partnership with Ethio Telecom
August 13th 2025
Like many African countries, the Ugandan government is banking on digital transformation to support its socio-economic development. To achieve this, it is seeking to strengthen cooperation with regional and international technology partners.
Uganda is looking to leverage the experience of Ethiopian state-owned company Ethio Telecom for its digital transformation. A high-level Ugandan delegation led by Hajjat Minsa Kabanda (pictured, left), Minister for the Capital City of Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, visited the incumbent operator’s offices this week to begin discussions on this potential cooperation.
According to a statement from Ethio Telecom published on X on Tuesday, August 12, the visit allowed the Ugandan delegation to discover innovative solutions developed in the fields of smart cities, agriculture, mining, and education. It also included the presentation of strategic infrastructure, such as a state-of-the-art data center. Discussions then focused on several avenues of cooperation, ranging from smart city solutions to digital payment platforms, including the development of telecom infrastructure, skills building, and know-how transfer.
This rapprochement is part of the Ugandan government’s desire to make information and communication technologies (ICT) one of the pillars of its socio-economic development, in accordance with its “Vision 2040″. This strategy aims to raise Uganda to the rank of middle-income country by 2040, by making it ” transition from a peasant society to a modern and prosperous country “.
For example, the digital transformation roadmap for the period 2023-2027 includes plans to expand the national backbone infrastructure to more than 73 additional districts and 20 major cities, with internet connectivity in administrative units, schools, ministries, departments, agencies, and hospitals. The government also aims to bring 95% of government services online, extend broadband to 90% of the national territory, bring online services to 90% of the population, and connect 90% of SMEs and other private institutions.
Currently, Uganda ranks 150th in the world according to the United Nations e-Government Development Index (EGDI). The country recorded a score of 0.4464 out of 1, higher than the African average (0.4247), but below the global average (0.6382). The country also ranks 35th in Africa in terms of ICT development, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Ethio Telecom believes that ” this collaboration can co-create high-impact, future-proof solutions, directly contributing to Uganda’s Vision 2040 and advancing Kampala’s smart urban development ambitions .” However, discussions between the two parties are still at a preliminary stage. No formal agreement has yet been signed or even announced. It will therefore be necessary to await further developments to assess the true scope of this initiative and determine whether it will lead to a concrete partnership.
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