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Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | MTN Uganda and its partners on Tuesday donated digital and vocational equipment to the Busoga Kingdom, as the telecommunications provider seeks to expand digital literacy and reduce economic vulnerability among Uganda’s rural youth and young women.
The contribution, made as part of MTN’s 2025 edition of the 21 Days of Y’ello Care campaign, includes ten internet-connected computers, tailoring machines, hairdressing kits, and water- harvesting tanks. The initiative was officially received by Busoga Kingdom’s Second Deputy Prime Minister, Osman Noor Ahmed, at the Inebantu Alice Mulooki Memorial Library and ICT Centre in Jinja.
“This partnership strengthens Busoga’s commitment to youth development and resilience through technology and training,” Ahmed said, highlighting the impact of digital tools in regions still grappling with high youth unemployment and limited access to connectivity.
Uganda faces a widening digital divide. While mobile penetration continues to grow, only 10% of the rural population owns or uses a computer, and just 27% of Ugandans are regular internet users, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. At the same time, Busoga remains one of the hardest-hit regions by adolescent pregnancy, with government data showing a rate exceeding 30%.
Juliet Kakayi Nsubuga, Managing Director of Bayobab Uganda, an MTN affiliate focused on infrastructure services, said the donation represents more than corporate goodwill—it is a signal of MTN’s broader ambition to align infrastructure deployment with social development.
“Connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” she said. “Through this partnership, we are intentionally expanding the digital economy to previously underserved communities.”
The vocational kits, combined with digital access, are designed to empower teenage mothers and young women with employable skills and tools to generate income. MTN Uganda’s female employees also participated in a football match with young mothers in Jinja, aimed at breaking stigma and raising awareness around teenage pregnancy.
This is the second time Busoga has benefited from the Y’ello Care campaign. In 2016, MTN donated 20 computers to the same ICT centre, which has since trained thousands of young people in digital skills. The 2025 campaign, themed “Connecting at the Roots – Connecting Communities through Digital Tools”, extends that effort with a UGX 500 million ($130,000) national rollout.
MTN is executing similar projects across Uganda. In Kampala, it is collaborating with the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to address youth unemployment through a digital skills hub at the Kabalagala Youth Centre. In Luwero, the company is working with the Nnabagereka
Development Foundation to promote digital-enabled agribusiness for youth. Northern Uganda’s Ker Alur Kingdom is receiving support for digital reproductive health education, while the Tooro Kingdom in the west is partnering with MTN to expand digital tourism and raise HIV/AIDS awareness.
The campaign is implemented in partnership with multiple institutions including the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, MTN Mobile Money Uganda Ltd, Bayobab, AYO Uganda, Roofings Group, Transsion, Maendeleo Foundation, Xeno Investment, and Pinkcode, among others.
Now in its 18th year, the 21 Days of Y’ello Care campaign reflects MTN Group’s pan-African strategy to integrate volunteerism with core business goals. It is also closely aligned with MTN Uganda’s Ambition 2025 strategy, which aims to accelerate digital and financial inclusion as pillars for economic transformation.
“Our goal is to enable the benefits of a modern connected life for all,” Nsubuga said. “And that starts at the grassroots—with real people and real impact.”
