Overview:
Uganda moves toward digital independence with the launch of ABQ Cloud, a domestic ecosystem designed to secure national data and lower costs for local startups.
NAMANVE, Uganda — Uganda has established a national cloud ecosystem to secure its digital data and stabilize technology costs, moving to decouple the country’s economy from foreign cloud providers.
The initiative, known as ABQ Cloud, was introduced Feb. 28 at the Raxio Data Centre. Developed through a partnership between the government and private sector, the platform allows Ugandan startups, enterprises and state agencies to host data within national borders.
Monica Musenero Masanza, the minister of science, technology and innovation, said the sovereign cloud is a strategic pillar for the nation’s 10-fold growth strategy. By shifting to a domestic ecosystem, the project aims to eliminate the foreign exchange volatility that often inflates costs when using international providers.
“ABQ Cloud is a foundation for Uganda’s digital independence,” said Eric Mugerwa, the platform’s chief technology officer. He noted that the locally hosted infrastructure offers lower latency and predictable, local-currency pricing, which are critical for scaling sustainable businesses.
The transition to a sovereign cloud also provides the technical framework for advanced applications in artificial intelligence. Industry leaders during a panel discussion at the launch emphasized that keeping data within the country enables the development of homegrown AI models trained on local context.
James Byaruhanga, managing director of Roke Cloud, said the partnership democratizes access to digital tools, allowing innovators to build solutions for regional challenges without the overhead of global data transit.
The project is supported by several partners, including the Science, Technology and Innovation Office of the President, AfriQloud and EDiC. To encourage early adoption, the government also recognized five hackathon winners at the event, providing them with capital, internet access and cloud credits to build natively on the new platform.