Uganda to benefit from $300m WIOCC digital infrastructure investment
For Uganda, the development is significant because Uganda Telecom (UTCL) is among WIOCC Group’s shareholders, alongside telecommunications operators and infrastructure companies from across the continent.
Uganda Telecom
Uganda is set to benefit from a new $300 million ( Over sh1,132 trillion) investment in WIOCC Group, one of Africa’s largest open-access digital infrastructure platforms, as the continent moves to expand connectivity, data centres, cloud services and infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence.
WIOCC Group announced the signing of a Shareholder Subscription Agreement with Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and Vision International Investment Company (Vision Invest) on September 1, 2026, with the two investors committing a combined $300 million to the company.
The agreement, signed during the LEAP 2026 Global Technology exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is expected to strengthen WIOCC’s capacity to expand its digital infrastructure across Africa.
For Uganda, the development is significant because Uganda Telecom (UTCL) is among WIOCC Group’s shareholders, alongside telecommunications operators and infrastructure companies from across the continent.
The investment could therefore have implications for Uganda’s efforts to expand high-capacity connectivity, improve access to digital services and position the country to take advantage of the growing demand for cloud computing, data storage and artificial intelligence.
Uganda is part of WIOCC’s continental network, which operates in more than 30 African countries and has developed an open-access digital infrastructure platform connecting businesses, telecommunications operators and other digital service providers to markets across the continent.
Uganda Telecom is among the company’s shareholders, alongside Dalkom Somalia, Djibouti Telecom, Mozambique Telecom (TMCEL), Zanzibar Telecom (Zantel), Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet), Lesotho Communications Authority, ONATEL, TelOne and Telkom Kenya.
This gives Uganda a direct connection to a wider continental digital infrastructure ecosystem at a time when demand for reliable and affordable connectivity is increasing.
The new capital will support WIOCC’s long-term expansion strategy, including deployment and consolidation of data centres, expansion of terrestrial fibre networks and investment in subsea cable infrastructure.
Data and AI raise infrastructure demand
The investment comes as African countries seek to close a significant digital infrastructure gap.
According to the International Telecommunication Union, only 35.7% of Africa’s population was using the internet in 2025, compared with a global average of 73.6%.
The gap highlights the need for continued investment in fibre networks, data centres, subsea cables and other infrastructure required to make digital services more accessible.
Uganda has similarly been seeking to expand digital inclusion, with increasing use of smartphones, mobile internet, digital financial services and online platforms placing additional pressure on the country’s connectivity infrastructure.
The rapid development of artificial intelligence is expected to further increase demand for computing capacity and data infrastructure.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development projects that the global AI market could reach $4.8 trillion by 2033, while warning that access to AI capabilities and the infrastructure supporting them remains concentrated in a relatively small number of countries and companies.
For Uganda, the challenge is not only increasing internet access but also ensuring that the infrastructure supporting the digital economy can handle growing demand for cloud computing, AI applications, digital businesses and data-intensive services.
AFC backs Africa’s digital backbone
Samaila Zubairu, President and Chief Executive Officer of AFC, said investment in digital infrastructure should be viewed in the same way as investment in transport and energy infrastructure.
“The Africa we build must be connected, competitive and equipped to create value from the digital economy, not only consume it,” Zubairu said.
He said fibre networks, data centres and subsea cables had become essential infrastructure for economic growth, innovation and artificial intelligence.
The AFC investment in WIOCC, he added, would help expand the open-access digital backbone required by African businesses and communities to integrate, innovate and compete globally.
For Uganda, the expansion of such infrastructure could complement national efforts to improve connectivity and enable businesses, government institutions and citizens to participate more effectively in the digital economy.
Investment to expand fibre and data centres
Chris Wood, Group Chief Executive Officer of WIOCC Group, said the new investment would enable the company to accelerate its growth strategy as demand for cloud, AI and other digital services increases.
The company plans to accelerate data centre deployment and consolidation, expand its open-access terrestrial fibre network and invest in new subsea assets.
For Uganda, where Uganda Telecom remains part of WIOCC’s shareholder structure, the expansion provides an opportunity to strengthen the country’s links to Africa’s wider digital infrastructure ecosystem.
As demand for data, cloud services and AI grows, Uganda’s ability to benefit from the digital economy will increasingly depend not only on the number of people connected to the internet but also on the quality, capacity and resilience of the infrastructure behind that connection.