UN Women Uganda, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, and the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, with support from the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), inaugurated two new African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) ICT Hubs in 2025. The hubs were established at Wanyange Girls’ Secondary School in Jinja (Eastern Uganda) on October 23 and at Kyebambe Girls’ Secondary School in Fort Portal (Western Uganda) on October 30. Each center is equipped with 60 desktop computers and provides a learning environment for girls to gain skills in coding, robotics, animation, web design, and digital safety, preparing them for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
At the launch in Wanyange, the Commissioner for Business, Technical, Vocational Education and Training (BTVET), Hajat Safina Musene, praised the partnership for empowering girls and challenging gender stereotypes in technology. In Fort Portal, students expressed excitement at the new facilities, with participants like Bonitah Shakillah highlighting how prior exposure to IT through the program boosted their confidence and inspired ambitions to create technology solutions for local businesses.
The AGCCI, led by UN Women in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), seeks to train and inspire adolescent girls across Africa to pursue ICT careers. In Uganda, the program supports national objectives under the Digital Transformation Roadmap and contributes to closing the gender digital divide, ensuring that girls from both rural and urban areas have access to technology education and future opportunities.
With these new inaugurations, Uganda now has four AGCCI ICT Hubs, joining centers in Lira (Lango Region) and Moroto (Karamoja Region), where girls previously received laptops after completing AGCCI boot camps. Since 2018, the initiative has reached over 2,000 girls across Africa, and Phase III in Uganda has already engaged 240 young women, demonstrating both the growing scale and the sustainability of the program in equipping girls with digital skills and fostering innovation.
