MTN Uganda has trained 390 young people and women in digital skills in eastern Uganda, part of a wider effort to prepare communities for employment and business opportunities in an increasingly technology-driven economy.
The trainees completed a three-week programme in Manafwa and Soroti districts delivered through the MTN Foundation in partnership with Maendeleo Foundation. The course covered computer operations, Microsoft applications, internet searches, online communication, responsible internet use and introductory artificial intelligence.
The graduation ceremony at Holy Family Catholic Church in Butiru, Manafwa District, marked the third under the programme's sixth phase, following earlier ceremonies in Kampala and Pader District in northern Uganda.
The initiative uses a mobile computer laboratory to bring digital training closer to communities with limited access to technology and learning facilities. More than 7,000 young people and women have received training since 2022, with completion rates exceeding 90%, MTN Uganda said.
The expansion of digital skills training comes as Uganda seeks to build a workforce capable of supporting its ambitions for a larger, technology-enabled economy. As businesses increasingly adopt digital tools, computer literacy, online communication and the ability to use emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are expected to become more important for accessing jobs and growing businesses.
“Digital skills are essential for people to participate meaningfully in a changing economy,” said Moses Oburu, MTN Uganda's regional business manager for the eastern region.
Bringing training closer to communities will enable more Ugandans to use technology for learning, work and business, he said.
The programme supports the government's Fourth National Development Plan for 2025/26 to 2029/30 and its Tenfold Growth Strategy, which targets expansion of the economy from about $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040.
Rev. Fr. Moses Kisaka, chairperson of the Education Commission at the Catholic Archdiocese of Tororo and chief guest at the graduation, said digital literacy would give young people and women greater access to information and create opportunities to pursue employment and establish businesses.
The graduates also participated in a skills competition to demonstrate their newly acquired knowledge. The top performers, Teddy Atim, Darius Wamatabu, Preema Mukhwana and Abraham Aburub, received laptops, tablets, smartphones and MiFi devices to support further learning and internet access.
Faith Nekesa, one of the graduates, said the training had increased her confidence in using computers and searching for information online.
MTN Uganda said the graduates could build on the foundation through its MTN ACE and MTN Skills Academy platforms, which offer further opportunities to develop digital capabilities for employment and entrepreneurship.
The company said the continued expansion of the programme would help more communities acquire skills needed to participate in the digital economy.
