Although Uganda’s National Development Plan III (NDP III) identifies digital transformation as essential, the country still trails behind Africa’s tech leaders, including Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, and Kenya, in digital inclusiveness and tech investment. Uganda, along with Rwanda, is making strides to develop its digital economy, focusing on knowledge and tech-based services. However, significant gaps remain.
These issues were highlighted at Uganda’s first Community of Practice (CoP) workshop on November 5 in Kampala, organized by the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Under the theme “Building the Future of Fair and Inclusive Digital Work in Uganda,” the event gathered various stakeholders to form a core team that will guide the CoP’s future initiatives. Discussions centered on Uganda’s digital economy, addressing the current state of digital work and identifying opportunities and challenges for equitable digital employment.
Lead Consultant Daniel Emurut presented findings showing barriers to digital work, such as high internet costs, a skills gap, and gender disparities. Emurut encouraged employers to engage in CoP workshops to craft strategic position papers for the digital economy’s advancement. A survey presented at the workshop revealed that low ICT literacy hinders 75% of Ugandans from accessing the internet, and only 4.6% of Ugandans have proficiency in programming, with stark gender and rural-urban gaps.
In response to these challenges, Uganda’s government has introduced the 2021-2025 Education Digital Agenda Strategy to integrate digital skills at all educational levels. Yet, digital services in Uganda remain limited, largely confined to telecom, postal, and broadcasting sectors, despite the transformative potential of digital technology for economic growth, job creation, and innovation.
The workshop’s participants recommended various measures to close the digital skills gap, such as revising the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum, promoting disability inclusion, establishing supportive regulatory frameworks, and fostering public-private collaborations.
The CoP, an initiative by FUE and supported by the ILO, aims to be a collaborative platform for stakeholders to champion fair, inclusive employment within Uganda’s digital economy. Experts from ICT, government, and private sectors emphasized the need for soft skills development, information sharing, ICT clubs in schools, and data protection measures. These efforts underscore the importance of inclusive policies and partnerships to support Uganda’s digital transformation.
