WEST NILE – Access to reliable Information and Communication Technology (ICT) remains a critical driver of efficient, transparent, and inclusive service delivery. Unfortunately, the West Nile region in Uganda has long been constrained by limited digital infrastructure, which often results in poor connectivity. This persistent challenge continues to limit access to essential public services and undermines the region’s potential contribution to Uganda’s strategic economic growth agenda.
Uganda’s development strategy is anchored in four key pillars: Agro-industrialisation, Tourism development, Mineral development, and Science, Technology and Innovation (including ICT)—collectively known as ATMS. Without adequate digital infrastructure, however, regions such as West Nile risk being left behind in this transformation.
It is encouraging that Uganda has made notable progress in expanding ICT infrastructure in recent years. According to the ICT Strategic Plan (2025/26–2029/30), broadband coverage increased to 85 percent in the financial year 2022/23, up from 74 percent in 2017/18. The National Backbone Infrastructure (NBI) has also expanded significantly, growing by more than 55 percent—from 2,424 kilometres in 2017/18 to broader national coverage by 2023/24.
Currently, the backbone connects more than 1,577 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and key service delivery sites across 57 districts. Internet penetration has also risen sharply, from 24.6 percent in 2017/18 to 63.7 percent in 2023/24, largely driven by private-sector investment in connectivity.
Despite these national gains, the benefits have not been evenly distributed. Many parts of West Nile remain underserved, leaving communities on the margins of Uganda’s digital transformation. Expanding ICT access is also central to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 9, which focuses on industry, innovation, and infrastructure. While the government has committed to increasing universal ICT access by expanding broadband connectivity, especially in underserved regions such as West Nile, the connectivity gap on the ground remains stark.
During Citizen Engagement Meetings (CEMs) held in March 2025, residents of Kei Sub-County in Yumbe District repeatedly raised concerns about the absence of a telecommunications mast. Ironically, the sub-county headquarters already has computers and printers intended to support government programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM). Yet these tools remain largely underutilised due to the lack of reliable internet connectivity.
As a result, parish chiefs in areas such as Rodo, Palaja, Machabo, and Osukya face a difficult dilemma. They must either continue implementing programs without submitting digital reports or travel nearly 30 kilometres, particularly from border communities near South Sudan, to the Yumbe District headquarters just to access internet connectivity.
Despite local efforts, including community initiatives to provide land for communication masts in Kei Sub-County, the connectivity challenge persists. Similar concerns have also emerged across several districts in the region, including Moyo, Adjumani, Obongi, Madi-Okollo, Packwach, Nebbi, Zombo, Arua, Maracha, Terego, and Koboko.
Ironically, communities in border districts such as Yumbe, Zombo, and Koboko often find their mobile devices automatically connecting to networks from neighboring countries, including Vodacom, VivaCell, Zain South Sudan, and MTN South Sudan, depending on their location.
Meanwhile, data from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) shows that by January 31, 2026, Uganda had licensed 58 telecommunications operators. However, a large proportion of these, particularly those categorized as national operators, are concentrated within the Kampala Metropolitan Area (KMA), targeting the country’s largest consumer market.
The disparity in service quality is striking. While internet speeds in Kampala can exceed 100 megabits per second (Mbps), users in West Nile often struggle with speeds ranging between 2 and 23 Mbps. Activities such as live streaming or participating in virtual meetings are frequently disrupted by unstable connections.
Even in urban areas such as River Oli in Arua City’s Central Division, where a communication mast stands near Gila Mosque, stable internet connectivity often becomes reliable only late at night, well past midnight. Such limitations significantly restrict participation in important digital platforms, including global processes such as climate change dialogues like Pre-COP and COP consultations. Internet services also remain costly despite the widespread marketing of so-called “unlimited” data bundles, which often provide slow speeds.
The International Telecommunication Union’s 2025 Digital Skills Capacity Building Needs Assessment for Priority Sectors in Uganda highlights another critical dimension of the challenge. The report emphasizes that adequate infrastructure, including equipment, connectivity, and reliable power supply, is essential for developing and utilizing digital skills effectively.
In rural areas, especially, the study found that poor connectivity and low bandwidth significantly hinder digital adoption. It also identified the absence of appropriate digital infrastructure, such as computer laboratories and server rooms, as well as unreliable electricity supply, as major barriers that discourage the use of digital tools.
With an estimated 23 million mobile subscribers and about 11 million active internet users in Uganda, digital connectivity is rapidly becoming an essential service. Ensuring equitable access across all regions, including West Nile, is therefore critical.
Prioritising ICT development in West Nile will not only help bridge the digital divide but also stimulate inclusive economic growth, strengthen accountability, and improve the delivery of public services.
In an increasingly digital world, no region should be left behind. Closing the telecom gap in West Nile is not merely a technological necessity, it is a development imperative.
The writer is a Research Officer at the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) and leads ACODE’s Climate Justice interventions in West Nile under the PACER Program.
Email: damanya@acode-u.org or dickensamanya@gmail.com