Uganda has launched a five-year National Data Strategy to overhaul how government collects, stores and shares information — work officials describe as the foundation for the country’s forthcoming National AI Strategy.
The starting point is stark. A baseline survey found Uganda currently holds data for only 36% of the indicators in its Fourth National Development Plan. The strategy aims to raise that to 80% within five years.
“Artificial intelligence depends on the quality of the data used to develop and operate it. Getting data governance and responsible use right will help Uganda make better use of these technologies,” said Dr Aminah Zawedde, permanent secretary at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance.
Collect once, use everywhere
Government agencies, including the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the National Identification and Registration Authority and the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, have long run separate databases with different standards, forcing citizens and agencies to submit the same records repeatedly.
“We need to have points where data is collected once, and that data is correct and free of errors, so that anybody who wants to take any planning decisions around it finds that it is reliable data,” Zawedde said.
Officials say better data will help agencies identify communities in urgent need of schools, health facilities and roads, and forecast demand for essential medicines — more pressing after the 2024 census put Uganda’s population at 45.9 million.
The strategy rests on three pillars: data governance, data infrastructure and strategic data use. It includes investment in data centres, processing systems and analytical software, and training for public servants in data management and visualisation.
Zawedde urged accounting officers to build it into their budgets. “Our measure of success must be the improvements people experience: fewer repeated requests for information, better-connected services and decisions that respond to their needs.”
Privacy built in
As data sharing expands, the strategy sets rules for how personal records are gathered, processed, stored and shared, distinguishing public records from confidential files, and requires anonymisation and pseudonymisation in line with the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019.
“Citizens need to understand how data is collected and used, why data protection matters and how reliable information contributes to accountability and development,” said Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, Minister of State for ICT and National Guidance.
Implementation is the test
A National Data Steering Committee and a National Data Office will oversee implementation, with data focal points across government. The strategy builds on Uganda’s Digital Transformation Roadmap (2023/24–2027/28) and aligns with the African Union Data Policy Framework, placing Uganda alongside Nigeria, Senegal and Mauritius in adopting a national data policy.
It was developed with technical support from UN Global Pulse Uganda and scaling assistance from UNDP — and both cautioned that the launch is the easy part.
“A good strategy does not implement itself. Its success will depend on what happens after today’s launch,” said Nwanneakolam Vwede-Obahor, UNDP resident representative.
Dr Martin Mubangizi, head of UN Global Pulse Uganda, urged the government to start with pilots: “Take a real programme or development challenge, demonstrate how better use of data improves decisions and outcomes, learn from the experience, and apply those lessons elsewhere.”
