True digital transformation goes beyond building infrastructure to equipping ordinary people with the vital skills they need to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.
The Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Hon. Nyombi Thembo, made the declaration on Thursday, July 9, 2026, while addressing global technology leaders at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Hon. Nyombi Thembo was speaking during a prestigious Leaders TalkX Roundtable centered on the theme: "Skills for the Future: Leading Inclusive Capacity Building."
The global tech forum, co-hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Government of Switzerland, runs from July 6 to 10, 2026. It serves as a premier international platform for shaping world policies on Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, digital inclusion, and data governance.
During his presentation, Hon. Nyombi Thembo highlighted Uganda’s active domestic interventions through the Uganda Communications Universal Service and Access Fund (UCUSAF).
The UCC boss revealed that the dedicated fund has successfully equipped over 1,100 Ugandan schools with fully functional ICT laboratories and trained thousands of teachers.
He added that the state regulator is funding targeted digital literacy programs specifically customized for women, small business owners, local farmers, and persons with disabilities to bridge the historical digital divide.
"Uganda’s participation at WSIS Forum 2026 reflects the country’s continued commitment to leveraging digital technologies as a driver of socio-economic transformation," Hon. Nyombi Thembo stated, aligning the country's vision with the goals of the Fourth National Development Plan (NDPIV) and the National Digital Transformation Roadmap.
The executive director called for deeper, structured partnerships among governments, technology regulators, private sector industries, and international development partners to systematically eliminate the global digital skills deficit and ensure no one is left behind.
In addition to the capacity-building roundtable, the UCC delegation is taking part in a global Regulators’ Roundtable. The closed-door session allows communications regulators from across the world to benchmark evolving technologies and draft collaborative regulatory approaches to protect consumers in trusted digital ecosystems.
Uganda is also contributing to specialized policy sessions regarding “Green Digital Action,” which explores how digital technologies can support climate action and environmental sustainability while actively reducing the carbon footprint of the broader ICT sector.
