Ugandan innovators urged to seize partnerships with Japanese firms

KAMPALA - Technology innovators have been urged to sharpen their skills, uphold professional integrity and position themselves for global markets as the Government deepens partnerships with Japanese companies under the Uganda–Japan Connect programme.

The call was made by Ministry of ICT and National Guidance permanent secretary Dr Aminah Zawedde during an engagement with visiting Japanese companies at Emin Pasha Hotel in Kampala on February 12, 2026.

The Japanese firms were touring Uganda’s ICT ecosystem and exploring collaboration and outsourcing opportunities with local companies.

Zawedde said the ministry’s partnership with the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) has opened tangible opportunities for Ugandan ICT firms, particularly in software development and business process outsourcing.

“As the Ministry, we have a partnership with JICA, a Japanese cooperation agency that creates partnerships for developing countries that they support,” she said.

She explained that under a memorandum of understanding signed between the ministry and JICA, the two sides launched Uganda–Japan Connect (UJ-Connect) to promote ICT businesses and create jobs for young people.

“This is a four-year project that started in 2023 and is ending in 2027. The aim of the project is to create employment opportunities for our young people. We have been matching businesses in Japan with companies in Uganda that can do work for Japan,” Zawedde noted.

According to her, the results are already visible.

“We have seen success stories today. We have got up to 14 companies from Japan that have come to partner and do work with companies in Uganda. To date, they have partnered with eight companies in Uganda so far. And we are still counting.”

She added that Ugandan firms are also building artificial intelligence-driven solutions for logistics, planning and management, demonstrating the country’s growing capabilities in advanced technologies.

Tech skills alone inadequate

However, she cautioned that technical skills alone are not enough to sustain international partnerships. “The feedback that the Japanese firms are giving us is that they leverage on trust, time management, and on quality,” she said.

“This is the message we have been telling our young people, that, yes, the government is going to create an enabling environment for you to get those job opportunities, but if you don’t keep time, if you are not trusted, it will be very difficult for you. And if you don’t retain the quality of the products that you deliver, it will also be difficult for you,” she said.

Local firms’ capacity boosted

Beyond business matching, she said the initiative has strengthened the capacity of local innovators. 

“We have supported a number of young innovators across the country to build their capacity in promoting and marketing their products, to build their capacity in developing good quality products and being able to pitch and market them in following global standards,” she said.

She said that the business process outsourcing industry is growing, and that is one of the key aspects that the Government is strengthening in its tenfold growth strategy.

Internet challenges

Zawedde acknowledged that challenges remain, particularly around connectivity. 

“Some of the challenges we face are having sustainable internet connectivity, but the government is working on ensuring that we extend connectivity up to 100% of the country. Today, we are at about 60% of the connectivity of the national backbone covering the country,” she said.

To address the visibility of the talent gap, she said the ministry has established a digital registration platform for ICT professionals and firms.

“We have built a platform on the Ministry of ICT website, where we are registering all young people and business process outsourcing firms so that if we have these foreign companies visit us, we do not look so far,” she said.

“I encourage all you young people out there to visit our platform, register all your skill sets and what you have done or what you can do. We have also put guidelines on what kind of skills you should develop, so that when the business matching partners come, they find you ready. Because I believe that opportunity meets the prepared. If you’re not prepared, chance might not come your way,” she noted.

Immense potential

Inoue Yoichi, Chief Representative of JICA Uganda, said Uganda’s youthful population presents immense potential for collaboration with Japan, which is facing demographic challenges.

“Uganda has a youthful and entrepreneurial population. I am always amazed by the numbers and the quality of innovators who express interest in JICA’s activities. This represents a desire for growth and globalisation among the youth,” he said.

He said that Japan is experiencing decline in population which presents risks to sustainable development. 

“Currently, there are many innovative businesses in Japan, some are expanding their business processes outside Japan. This presents an opportunity for collaboration with Uganda talent to bring the human resource gap and share technology and technical expertise,” he said.

He emphasised that ICT is central to both countries’ development agendas and noted that as both countries seek sustainable growth through supporting and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and NDPIV, particular to Uganda, it is important to recognise the role ICT and innovation not just as an enabler but as a necessity and driver of sustainable growth”

Despite disparities in technological advancement, he said JICA is committed to bridging the gap. “JICA is working with the government of Uganda to create an enabling environment for youth to co-create, co-innovate and thrive,” said Yoichi.

Beneficiaries

For beneficiaries, the programme has delivered concrete gains. Cirus Sumika, founder of Summic ICT Solutions, described UJ-Connect as transformative.

“Partnership in the UJ-Connect programme was a game changer for us. We pitched our work to five companies and four of them expressed interest in partnering with us which was a great validation of our capabilities,” he said.

He added, “The process was vigorous requiring full proposal, but once approved, it secured funding that helped us address the high development costs.

The programme not only enabled us to scale but also provided us an opportunity to develop according to international standards. It opened doors for us to collaborate with new partners, share knowledge and enhance our team’s skills over the five hands-on months of training.”

Emmanuel Twesigye, the CEO of Everlend Agritech Ltd, said the accelerator component strengthened his business model.

“We joined the UJ-Connect Accelerator to refine our business model. It offered mentorship, investor readiness, training and product market fit guidance. We later won the competition and received $5,000 and earned a trip to GITEX Global in Dubai,” he said.

Though he acknowledged challenges such as low smartphone penetration among farmers and cultural resistance to digital tools, Twesigye said the exposure has been invaluable.

“JICA’s support through UJ-Connect gave us visibility, partnerships, and credibility we could not afford on our own. The exposure is what is opening global doors for us,” he noted.

As the programme approaches its final year, Dr Zawedde said they are in talks with the Japanese Agency to consider renewing the MOU.