ICT's PS Dr. Aminah Zawedde Hails MTN Foundation’s Second Digital Innovation Hub at Busitema University in UGX 4 Billion Push to Empower Uganda’s Youth

Busia District, Uganda – 15 September 2026

MTN Foundation Uganda has handed over its second MTN ACE Spark Innovation Hub at Busitema University, expanding a nationwide drive to equip young people with future-ready digital skills and entrepreneurial tools.

The facility, launched in partnership with the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance and Centenary Technology Services, forms part of a UGX 4 billion three-year investment. The programme will establish four regional digital innovation centres at public universities and refurbish the National ICT Innovation Hub in Nakawa, Kampala.

The Busitema hub follows the successful opening of the first centre at Kabale University in western Uganda. Further hubs are planned for Gulu University in the north and Soroti University in the east, creating a strategically distributed network serving all regions of the country.

Uganda’s youth, who make up more than 75 percent of the population, increasingly need digital skills and entrepreneurial training to compete in a rapidly changing economy. The new hubs aim to close that gap by giving students and surrounding communities access to modern digital infrastructure, collaborative workspaces, and practical training.

Through its ACE Tech, ACE Career and ACE Skilling tracks, MTN Foundation Uganda, working with the Ministry of ICT, Centenary Technology Services and implementing partner Anischolar via the MTN Skills Academy, is delivering targeted programmes in Data Science and Analytics, Software Development and Coding, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing and related fields. Mentorship and workspace support are also provided to help participants turn ideas into businesses and solutions.

Francis Gimara, a Trustee of MTN Foundation Uganda, said the hubs are designed as centres for experimentation, collaboration and innovation.

“We at MTN Foundation Uganda believe that everyone should not only enjoy the benefits of a modern, connected life but also be empowered to drive innovation and entrepreneurship that transforms the communities in which we operate,” he said. “By providing tools, mentorship and opportunities, we are giving young people the platform to create practical solutions, start businesses and contribute to the economic growth of Uganda.”

More than 20,000 students and community members are expected to benefit from the digital skilling and mentorship offered through the programme.

Dr Aminah Zawedde, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, underscored the national importance of the investment: “Investing in Uganda’s youth is investing in the country’s future. These hubs equip young people with the skills and support needed to innovate, create jobs and contribute meaningfully to the digital economy.”

Prof Paul Waako, Vice Chancellor of Busitema University, noted that the Spark Hub bridges classroom learning with practical application, preparing students to become problem-solvers, entrepreneurs and innovators.

Peter Kahiigi, Chief Technology Officer of Centenary Technology Services, the programme’s implementing partner, revealed that the Busitema facility had already been operational for seven months before the formal handover. Equipment arrived in February and students have been using the space since then.

“What we handed over today is not a new lab. It is a working one,” he said. “We built this hub to the standard we would build for ourselves: high-specification equipment, a properly engineered network, a secure and air-conditioned space designed for people to work together, not just sit in rows. That is the test of a project like this: not the ribbon, but whether the room is full on an ordinary weekday.”

Kahiigi added that the goal is consistency across locations: “Nakawa, then Kabale, now Busitema, next Gulu. Four regions, one standard, on campuses and inside the working day. The environment is our part. What the students and the community build in it is the point.”

The broader MTN ACE Programme has already invested more than UGX 4 billion over the past three years in digital capability development. The renewed funding will support both the regional hubs and the Nakawa ICT Innovation Hub, which has produced practical innovations including KaCyber, an online public transport ticketing system, and RideLink, an AI-powered logistics platform for import and export solutions.

Gimara described the Busitema handover as the start of a new wave of ideas and enterprises. “By investing in Uganda’s youth and digital innovation, we are shaping a resilient, competitive and inclusive economy.”

The MTN Skills Academy, which delivers the training programmes, can be accessed at https://skillsacademy.mtn.com.