Parliament Backs Digital Policies to Expand Opportunities Beyond Kampala, Says ICT Committee Chair

What the report says

Nile Post reported that Uganda’s Parliament has pledged continued work with the ICT sector on policies intended to support innovation, digital trust and inclusive growth. The remarks were attributed to Andrew Ojok Oulanyah, chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on ICT and National Guidance, who spoke in Kampala at the third State of the Digital Economy event at Next Media Park.

According to the report, Oulanyah said Uganda’s digital transformation should move beyond infrastructure and focus on skills, trusted systems and wider access to economic opportunity. He urged investment in regional innovation hubs so participation in the digital economy is not concentrated in Kampala, and said Parliament would work with government agencies, regulators and the private sector on frameworks that support digital commerce, data protection, privacy and cybersecurity.

The event’s theme, “Beyond Connectivity: Turning Access into Opportunity,” framed wider discussions among policymakers, regulators, technology experts and innovators. Nile Post said Next Media Group chief executive Kin Kariisa challenged stakeholders to examine whether connectivity is creating jobs, exports and value, while Uganda Communications Commission finance director Haruna Musinguzi argued that digital infrastructure should be assessed by how it improves people’s lives.

Oulanyah also pointed to digital skills, business process outsourcing and artificial intelligence governance as priorities, saying Uganda should prepare young people for technology-enabled work and regulate AI as adoption grows. The conference, organised by NextCom, focused on human capital, policy, infrastructure, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, with sessions aimed at linking digital access to jobs, innovation and sustainable economic growth.