Smart Africa and Uganda Stakeholders Push Reforms to Boost Digital Entrepreneurship

Smart Africa,  in collaboration with Uganda’s Ministry of ICT and National Guidance , has convened a national stakeholder validation workshop to assess the country’s digital entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.

The workshop, held in Kampala, brought together public institutions, regulators, academia, entrepreneurs, innovation hubs and ecosystem support organisations to review findings from Uganda’s Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation Country Assessment.

Discussions focused on reforms and support measures needed to help Ugandan startups and innovators build, test, scale and access markets more effectively.

Key priorities identified at the workshop included advancing the Startup Bill to create a more enabling environment for startups, strengthening science, technology and innovation policies and regulations, and improving access to regulatory sandboxes that allow innovators to test solutions across different sectors.

Stakeholders also highlighted the need to use public procurement as a tool for creating market opportunities for local startups and to translate identified gaps into practical, country-owned support mechanisms.

Smart Africa said the validation workshop represents an important step towards evidence-based action aimed at strengthening innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable startup growth in Uganda.

The initiative is being implemented under the Africa-Europe Digital Innovation Bridge (AEDIB 2.0), which supports African countries in developing digital entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems through policy dialogue, stakeholder engagement and regional collaboration.