Preparedness should be judged by the ability to respond, recover, and learn from digital threats rather than prevention alone, says Dr Michael Atingi-Ego, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Uganda.
Cybersecurity is an essential condition for a functioning digital economy as financial services, telecommunications, and civic systems become increasingly interconnected, Atingi-Ego told delegates at the inaugural National Cybersecurity Conference in Kampala.
The event marks the launch of Uganda's first unified national platform to address digital threats, shifting from fragmented individual responses to a synchronised national strategy, says Nyombi Thembo, executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).
The initiative aligns with previous ITWeb Africa reporting on East Africa's accelerating digital financial ecosystem, where rapid mobile money adoption and cross-border payment integration have heightened vulnerability to financial fraud and infrastructure outages across the region.
Cybersecurity must remain a shared responsibility as digital technologies transform service delivery across the public and private sectors, said Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, minister of state for ICT and national guidance.
She added that Uganda's digital future will be defined not only by how connected the country becomes, but by how securely it remains connected.
The country must work towards a secure network alongside its ‘Connected Uganda 2030’ targets, focusing on coordinated incident response, executive accountability, local skills development, and consumer protection, according to Thembo.
The conference, organised by the UCC in partnership with the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, brought together public sector officials, private enterprise leaders, academia, and security agencies under the theme “Securing Uganda's Digital Future: Collaboration, Resilience and Trust.”
Around four in 10 government institutions and small and medium-sized enterprises in Uganda have experienced cybercrime, according to Central Bank data, driven by rapid digital transition and mobile finance adoption.
The UCC currently classifies Uganda’s national cybersecurity readiness within the “basic” tier, indicating that critical vulnerabilities remain across public and private infrastructure, Thembo concludes.
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