On April 24th, 2025, President Yoweri Museveni hosted a strategic meeting at State House, Entebbe with a delegation led by Dr. Aminah Zawedde, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance. The delegation included officials from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and American Tower Uganda (ATC Uganda). The meeting focused on strengthening the security and reliability of Uganda’s telecommunications infrastructure, essential for national communication and service delivery.
President Museveni emphasized the need to classify telecom towers as critical national infrastructure to combat vandalism. He proposed integrating surveillance systems on towers with national security networks for real-time monitoring and called for stricter legal action, including the denial of bail to vandals. He also encouraged telecom companies to reinforce towers with tamper-proof materials and install cameras.
ATC Uganda, which operates over 4,500 towers nationwide, committed to enhancing site security. CEO Dorothy Kabagambe Ssemanda noted the company’s UGX 4.5 trillion investment and its partnerships with over 5,000 landlords hosting tower sites, significantly improving rural incomes. She appealed for government support to connect more than 1,000 remote tower sites to the national grid, explaining that some require power line extensions of 10 to 15 kilometers. Despite already extending 2,200 kilometers of power lines through a UGX 120 billion investment, gaps remain in remote areas.
President Museveni backed the proposal, confirming government support for rural electrification of tower sites to benefit both infrastructure and surrounding communities. This aligns with national goals to advance digital inclusion in underserved areas.
ATC Uganda’s contributions continue to impact the economy positively, with rural landlords collectively earning over UGX 55 million monthly from hosting tower sites.
UCC Executive Director George William Nyombi Thembo stressed the need for stronger infrastructure policies to support Uganda’s digital transformation. Ms. Kabagambe reaffirmed ATC Uganda’s commitment to national development and called for stronger partnerships and legal protections for critical infrastructure.
Doreen Gift Bujjingo, ICT Infrastructure Engineer at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, highlighted the importance of government efforts in addressing vandalism, noting that it hampers broadband expansion and delays progress toward Uganda’s digital transformation.
With these joint efforts, Uganda is making decisive progress in protecting its telecom infrastructure and advancing toward a more connected and digitally inclusive future.
The author is a Communications Officer at the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance.
