The Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Justine Kasule Lumumba has visited Buhadyo Smart Village in Butaleja District, where the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, in partnership with the National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U), has connected Buhadyo Primary School and 25 households to solar power and the internet.
Buhadhyo is the pilot site for the Smart Village Initiative, a joint project involving the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, Huawei, Airtel and NITA-U. The initiative seeks to harness technology to improve education, healthcare and the general quality of life in underserved communities.
The programme aims to connect schools, health centres and households across the village, beginning with the primary school.
With solar power infrastructure and a solar power solution provided by Huawei, a key partner in the programme, Buhadhyo Primary School, a government-aided institution, can now operate smart classroom solutions, computers and internet services. Pupils can interact digitally with learners from other schools across the country and share educational materials, opportunities that were previously out of reach for a school in such a remote community.
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During her tour of the school, the Minister said what she had witnessed in Buhadhyo demonstrated the transformative potential of extending digital connectivity to remote communities.
"Until recently, a school like this could not keep a computer running, let alone connect to the internet. Today, pupils here are learning using computers and sharing educational materials with schools in other parts of the country. This is a direct fulfilment of the President's vision of harnessing digital technology to drive rural socio-economic transformation," said Kasule Lumumba.
She added that Government intends to roll out the programme nationwide, with Buhadhyo serving as the pilot site.
The initiative seeks to leverage clean solar energy infrastructure to power unserved and underserved communities, connect them to the digital ecosystem through the National Backbone Infrastructure (NBI), and advance Government's commitment to improving public service delivery and bridging the socio-economic divide.
NITA-U Executive Director, Dr. Hatwib Mugasa, explained that the NBI, which is managed by NITA-U, serves as the country's core digital infrastructure, connecting public and private sector institutions to the global digital economy.
"The National Backbone Infrastructure already runs across the country. The Smart Village programme takes that connectivity to the last mile, extending it to schools, health centres and households. Once a school like Buhadhyo Primary School is connected to the network, it is no longer cut off from the rest of the world," Dr.Mugasa said.
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"Through high-speed internet connectivity and solar-powered smart classroom technology, Buhadyo Primary School is now directly linked to Nakasero Primary School in Kampala. This enables pupils in Buhadhyo to participate in shared, interactive learning sessions with their counterparts in Kampala."
He noted that the initiative would be extended to other sectors, including healthcare, as part of the broader Government effort to improve service delivery in the country's most underserved communities.
Local leaders welcomed the initiative. The area Member of Parliament, James Waluswaka, thanked the President and Government for selecting Buhadhyo as the pilot site.
He said the smart school had given children in the village access to educational resources comparable to those available to pupils in better-served parts of the country. He also called for the programme to be extended to more schools and health centres across Butaleja District.
"We are ready to work with Government and NITA-U to protect this investment and see it grow to every corner of Butaleja," he said.
The Member of Parliament was accompanied by the Butaleja District LC5 Chairperson, Elvis Were, the Nawanjofu Sub-county LC3 Chairperson, Douson Faga, and other district leaders and residents, who joined the Minister in touring the school and some of the households connected under the initiative.
