The World Bank and the Ugandan government have joined forces to start the Universal Digital Acceleration Program, which will give Uganda’s refugee populations access to the Internet.
With the highest number of refugees reported in all of Africa, Uganda ranks among the top countries in the world for hosting refugees.
Over 1.5 million refugees lived in Uganda as of June 2022, the majority of whom had fled South Sudan. Three-quarters of all refugees were housed in the northern Ugandan districts of Adjumani and Yumbe.
In order to make these refugees employable, the five-year program, which will begin on July 1, 2023, seeks to teach them new language skills, establish new educational infrastructure, and give them access to critical digital skills.
At a gathering co-hosted by MTN Uganda, the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association, and Centenary Industries Limited, Amina Zawedde, the country’s Permanent Secretary for ICT and National Guidance, made this announcement.
In order to develop the computer lab at Refugee and Hope International, a nonprofit refugee home in Kampala, Uganda, these organizations banded together to contribute UGX15 million ($4,000).
Refugee and Hope offers language instruction, business training, and counseling to people who have PTSD as a result of the crisis in their native country.
Additionally, Zawedde was upbeat about the program and said that having access to the Internet will be beneficial for last-mile communities like refugee camps.
She claimed that if the Internet was available in places like offices, hospitals, and schools, everyone would use it more efficiently.
Additionally, MTN gave Refugee and Hope International access to an ICT lab in order to empower and equip them with the skills and resources they need to flourish as businesses.
