MTN Boosts Digital Literacy and Youth Empowerment in Busoga Kingdom

MTN Uganda, in collaboration with its partners, has significantly bolstered efforts to bridge the digital divide and reduce economic vulnerability among rural youth and young women in Uganda. On Tuesday, the telecommunications giant donated a comprehensive package of digital and vocational equipment to the Busoga Kingdom as part of its 2025 “21 Days of Y’ello Care” campaign.

The donation, 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, includes ten internet-connected computers, tailoring machines, hairdressing kits, and water-harvesting tanks.

Ahmed lauded the initiative, emphasising that the partnership “strengthens Busoga’s commitment to youth development and resilience through technology and training.” He highlighted the critical role of such digital tools in regions grappling with high youth unemployment and limited internet access.

Uganda faces a significant digital divide; while mobile penetration is rising, only 10% of the rural population owns or uses a computer, and a mere 27% of Ugandans are regular internet users, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. Busoga is particularly affected by adolescent pregnancy, with government data showing a rate exceeding 30%.

Juliet Kakayi Nsubuga, Managing Director of Bayobab Uganda, an MTN affiliate, underscored that the donation transcends corporate goodwill, signalling MTN’s broader ambition to integrate infrastructure deployment with social development. “Connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” she stated, adding, “Through this partnership, we are intentionally expanding the digital economy to previously underserved communities.”

Juliet Kakayi Nsubuga, Managing Director of Bayobab Uganda (L), hands over an assortment of items—including hairdressing equipment, tailoring machines, and water harvesting tanks—to Busoga Kingdom’s Second Deputy Prime Minister, Osman Noor Ahmed, on behalf of the Kingdom. The handover took place at the Inebantu Lady Alice Mulooki Memorial Library and ICT Centre

The vocational kits, coupled with digital access, are specifically designed to empower teenage mothers and young women by equipping them with employable skills and tools to generate income. In a related effort to break stigma and raise awareness around teenage pregnancy, MTN Uganda’s female employees also participated in a football match with young mothers in Jinja.

This marks the second time Busoga Kingdom has benefited from the “Y’ello Care” campaign. In 2016, MTN donated 20 computers to the same ICT centre, which has since provided digital skills training to thousands of young people. The 2025 campaign, themed “Connecting at the Roots – Connecting Communities through Digital Tools,” expands on this commitment with a UGX 500 million ($130,000) national rollout.

MTN is implementing similar impactful projects across Uganda. In Kampala, it’s collaborating with the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to establish a digital skills hub at the Kabalagala Youth Centre to address youth unemployment. In Luwero, the company is partnering 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 working with MTN to expand digital tourism and raise HIV/AIDS awareness.

The campaign is a collaborative effort with various 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 and aligns with MTN Uganda’s Ambition 2025 strategy, which prioritises accelerating digital and financial inclusion as key drivers for economic transformation.

“Our goal is to enable the benefits of a modern connected life for all,” Nsubuga concluded. “And that starts at the grassroots—with real people and real impact.”