Government plans to spend Shs1.66 trillion over five years to integrate public sector data systems, establish two high-capacity data centres and improve the use of information in planning and service delivery.
The investment is part of Uganda’s National Data Strategy for 2026/27–2030/31, which seeks to address fragmented government information systems and enable public institutions to share reliable data for decision-making.
Dr Aminah Zawedde, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, said the strategy would support the government’s ambition to expand the economy tenfold, from $50 billion to $500 billion over the next 15 years.
Speaking at the strategy’s launch at Mestil Hotel in Kampala, Zawedde described the framework as an operational plan rather than a policy document.
“The National Data Strategy is not a theoretical publication; it is an executive operational blueprint,” she said.
The strategy allocates Shs684.9 billion to data infrastructure, Shs553.3 billion to data governance, Shs319 billion to research, innovation and entrepreneurship, Shs71.4 billion to strategic data utilisation and Shs34 billion to developing people and a data-driven culture.
Government is expected to provide Shs1.22 trillion through allocations to ministries, departments and agencies. The remaining financing is projected to come from non-tax revenue generated through commercialisation of value-added data services, development partners and the private sector.
Non-tax revenue is expected to contribute Shs333.6 billion, development partners Shs55 billion and the private sector Shs54 billion.
Among the strategy’s targets is to increase the number of integrated government platforms from 135 to 300 through the Ug-Hub system by 2030/31. It also aims to raise the proportion of National Development Plan IV indicators supported by verifiable data from 36 per cent to 80 per cent.
The government further plans to establish two Tier IV data centres and increase national data storage capacity to 10 petabytes, with a targeted service uptime of 99.9 per cent.
Other targets include reducing direct costs by 20 per cent through shared resources and infrastructure among government institutions and cutting the time required to process public services by 40 per cent.
The strategy also seeks to reduce dependence on imported digital systems, targeting 40 per cent financial savings through locally developed innovations.
Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, Minister of State for Information, said the strategy would provide a framework for public institutions to collect, share, manage and use information responsibly.
She said government agencies needed to move beyond collecting data and use it to address gaps in public services, inform policies and support economic growth.
“Collecting information is not enough; we must use it to inform policies, improve public services, support businesses and address the needs of our people,” Ssebugwawo said.
The strategy identifies fragmented data systems, inconsistent standards, limited information sharing and inadequate infrastructure as major challenges to building a coordinated, data-driven economy.
It is built around three pillars: data governance, data infrastructure and strategic data utilisation, supported by data literacy, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Under data governance, the government intends to strengthen accountability, promote secure data management and protect personal information.
Zawedde said the government was developing a National Data Policy and Data Law to strengthen governance and improve the accuracy and reliability of information held in national registries.
She added that the Personal Data Protection Office would enforce the Data Protection and Privacy Act as public institutions expand data sharing and use.
The government also intends to use the strategy as a foundation for a national artificial intelligence strategy, with reliable data identified as essential to the development and responsible use of AI technologies.
Ssebugwawo called on ministries, government agencies, local governments, private businesses, universities, civil society organisations and development partners to support implementation.
She said the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance would coordinate implementation and work with stakeholders to monitor progress.
The minister also emphasised the need to promote data literacy and ensure women, young people, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups benefit from the country’s digital transformation.
Zawedde said the strategy’s success would ultimately depend on whether citizens experienced improvements in public services, including shorter queues, lower costs of doing business and better responses in healthcare and education.
“The success of this strategy will not be measured by the terabytes stored or documents published, but by the tangible transformations experienced by ordinary citizens,” she said.
The strategy was developed through consultations involving government institutions, the private sector, academia and civil society. A total of 131 state and non-state organisations participated in its validation.