A Ugandan delegation led by High Commissioner Paul Amoru has held a strategic meeting with MTN South Africa executives to explore new partnerships that could fast-track Uganda's innovation and technology agenda.
The meeting, held on Friday in Johannesburg, brought together representatives from the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat in the President's Office (STI-OP), Kiira Motors Corporation and MTN Uganda.
It followed the arrival in South Africa of the Ugandan-made Kayoola Electric Coach, which is currently on a 13,000-kilometre e-mobility expedition from Kampala to Cape Town and back.
The discussions centred on opportunities for collaboration and public-private partnerships to support the co-creation and scaling of innovative solutions across STI-OP's bureaus.
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Catherine Muwumuza, the superintendent of support services at STI-OP, said Uganda and MTN should establish a shared framework to scale locally developed technologies across the continent.
She noted that the success of the Kayoola electric bus showed Uganda's capacity to deliver practical, export-ready solutions.
"The Kayoola Electric bus is proof that what we created truly works. Moving people requires connectivity and that's where MTN comes in. We need further conversations to foster collaboration with MTN's continental reach to drive e-mobility," Muwumuza said.
The Kayoola E-Coach left Kampala on 20 November and reached Johannesburg after covering 4,916 kilometres, representing 38.7 percent of its full route. According to the innovators, the journey had already saved 2,270 kilograms of carbon emissions by the time it entered South Africa.
The e-bus was developed under a partnership between Kiira Motors Corporation and MTN Uganda, making it Africa's first fully connected digital electric coach.
Sudipto Moitra, MTN South Africa's General Manager for Enterprise Solutions, said MTN's transformation from a telecom operator to a technology company aligns with Uganda's innovation ambitions.
"We have seen a lot of innovations from Uganda and are well poised to co-create with Uganda. The MTN leadership is willing to support and scale the country's innovation agenda," Moitra said.
High Commissioner Amoru welcomed MTN's engagement, noting that it responded directly to President Museveni's call during the 2023 Uganda-South Africa Investment Summit for private companies to support public-led innovation.
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"The President urged private companies such as MTN to support public-private partnerships such as these. I am happy to see that we are having these engagements," Amoru said.
The meeting reaffirmed a shared commitment to strengthening innovation ecosystems and developing scalable, homegrown solutions that advance Africa's technological progress.
