Kampala, Uganda—Today, October 21st, the National ICT Innovation Hub joins the world to celebrate Global Encryption Day. This annual event promotes and defends strong encryption, a key element of the digital world.
Located at the Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology (UICT) Nakawa Campus, the Hub is the “Home of ICT Innovation.” Our goal is to support the local innovation ecosystem. We house over 80 innovators and provide essential resources like workspace and internet to spark creation. We promote home-grown potential.
However, innovation requires security. Encryption secures personal information and communications. It protects data from criminals and bad actors. It is the essential foundation of trust in the digital economy.
This focus on cybersecurity matches national policy. Uganda’s Digital Transformation Roadmap names Cybersecurity, Data Protection, and Privacy as a core pillar. This is due to the growing cyber threat landscape that accompanies the expansion of digital services. Our main objective is to promote trust and safety in the innovations we support. digital systems.
The National ICT Innovation Hub has actively worked to embed security into our ecosystem. To support the Digital Transformation Roadmap, the Hub executed initiatives to strengthen innovation practices. This work included cybersecurity, privacy, and regulatory compliance training for regional hubs. We have focused on innovators at Kabale and Soroti Universities to date. This measure equipped them with the skills to design secure products from the start. We are directly building security into the foundation of Uganda’s digital economy.
Flavia Opio, Team Lead at the National ICT Innovation Hub, commented on the effort: “Our goal isn’t just to support the building of innovations, but to support safe technology. Encryption ensures that the incredible innovations coming out of this Hub and regional hubs protect user privacy and build long-term confidence in Uganda’s digital future.”
On Global Encryption Day, the National ICT Innovation Hub calls upon all innovators and entrepreneurs to adopt strong encryption in their apps, products, and services. We must champion these technologies to build a secure cyberspace that supports national development.