Uganda has taken a major step in transforming health delivery in crisis-affected areas by unveiling what is believed to be Africa’s first offline-capable artificial intelligence framework designed to optimise medical supply chains. The initiative was developed by the International Foundation for Recovery and Development (IFRAD) in partnership with the country’s Ministry of Health and Kyambogo University.
The framework aims to ensure essential medicines and therapeutic supplies reach even the most remote and low-connectivity regions of the country. At a validation workshop in Kampala on Nov. 12, 2025, health officials and humanitarian agencies heard how the system’s “offline-first” architecture allows data processing and decision-making even without internet access.
Dr. Samalie Namusoke, assistant commissioner in the health ministry’s nutrition division, called the innovation “a timely solution” to the persistent problem of stock-outs in remote health facilities. She said AI can provide the accurate data needed to inform enduring policies and better decision-making.
The framework is not intended to replace existing national systems such as eLMIS, eAFYA, DHIS2 and CSSP, but rather to build an integration layer with predictive analytics and offline capabilities that complements them.
According to Gideon Apako, principal investigator at IFRAD, the project began in June 2024 with baseline research in the Karamoja and southwestern regions of Uganda to understand rural logistics challenges. The system is currently about 20 % complete, having cost just over US $100,000 (approximately 360 million Ugandan shillings). Further modules are planned for completion by 2026, subject to funding.
Apako explained that field consultations with health workers in low-connectivity areas strongly influenced the design. “Health workers told us they need systems that work in real life where electricity and internet are unreliable. We designed this framework with those realities in mind,” he said.
In the framework’s three-tier model, data is collected at the facility level, then transmitted to the district health office when internet connectivity permits, and finally shared with the Ministry of Health for nationwide coordination. Apako noted that even minimal connectivity—“like 50 MB of mobile data”—allows health workers to update the system from their phones.
The offline-first AI approach is already attracting regional attention as a model for low-connectivity humanitarian settings across East Africa. In particular, it shows how digital technologies—when paired with local expertise—can enhance supply-chain transparency and efficiency without requiring major infrastructure upgrades.
Dr. Namusoke reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working with innovators and academia to ensure that AI becomes a tool for empowerment rather than exclusion, particularly in settings serving refugees and crisis-affected populations.
