UICT Graduates 600 as Leaders Push for a Digitally Skilled Uganda

Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology (UICT) held its 18th Graduation Ceremony in Nakawa on 28th November 2025, awarding diplomas and certificates to more than 600 graduates.

The event, held under the theme “Empowering the Digital Generation: Building Adaptive ICT Talent for Uganda’s Future,” brought together top government officials, ICT regulators, educators, innovators, development partners, parents, and guardians.

The Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, who served as Chief Guest, commended the graduates for their resilience and reaffirmed ICT as a “pillar of industrialization, job creation, and improved service delivery.” He highlighted government priorities, including support for local innovation, expansion of digital infrastructure, BPO job creation, and strengthening cybersecurity frameworks.

“The future belongs to those who innovate,” he said, urging the graduates to build start-ups, collaborate across sectors, and use technology to drive national development.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Aminah Zawedde, further highlighted Uganda’s rising digital indicators, which include over 38 million mobile subscriptions and more than 14 million internet users. She noted that systems like EMIS (Education Management Information System), which collects and processes comprehensive education data on schools, teachers, pupils, infrastructure, finances, and inspections to enable evidence-based planning by the Ministry of Education and Sports; iHMIS (Integrated Health Management Information System), which centralizes health sector data for real-time monitoring, disease surveillance, resource allocation, and enhanced service delivery across healthcare facilities; and PDMIS (Parish Development Model Information System), which tracks parish-level development initiatives under Uganda's Parish Development Model, managing data on livelihoods, agriculture, infrastructure, and community projects to drive bottom-up transformation, demonstrate the power of local innovation to strengthen public.

She applauded the growing BPO ecosystem at 243 registered companies, and congratulated UICT graduates who developed ICT projects for Japanese firms under the institute’s BPO flagship programme. “The future needs you. The nation expects you,” she told the graduands.

Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) Executive Director George William Nyombi Thembo reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to supporting UICT as mandated under the Uganda Communications Act. He described UICT as the producer of “over 70 percent of the foundational ICT skills” powering Uganda’s communications sector.

He highlighted UCC’s ongoing support in upgrading digital labs, establishing smart classrooms, and implementing digital-literacy programmes. He also announced the successful training of 750 teachers across three regions through UCUSAF-backed initiatives.

“UICT sits at the nexus of infrastructure, skills, and innovation,” he said, calling for wider partnerships to strengthen the institute’s sustainability.
Principal of the Uganda Institute of ICT (UICT, Dr Fredrick Kitoogo outlined the institute’s performance over the last five years, including the training of 56,086 Ugandans, 5,055 government officers, and more than 1,300 teachers. He announced that 81 percent of UICT graduates are employed or self-employed, with 69 percent securing employment within a year of graduation.

He also celebrated the awarding of 69 distinctions and announced progress at the National ICT Innovation Hub, which has supported 84 innovators and helped commercialize 52 solutions. “The future is digital, and you are the architects of that future,” he told graduates.

Governing Council Chairperson Dean Munene urged the graduates to embody purpose, adaptability, and collaboration. He emphasized ICT’s role in solving national challenges in agriculture, health, governance, and business.

“The future belongs to the adaptable, those who can learn, unlearn, and relearn,” he said, calling for ethical, inclusive, and community-driven innovation.

The ceremony highlighted UICT’s expanding national footprint from digital skilling and applied research to incubation, BPO development, and innovation commercialization. Officials reaffirmed the institute’s strategic importance as Uganda enters a new phase of digital transformation under Vision 2040, NDP IV, and the Digital Uganda Vision.