Johannesburg, South Africa: In a move aimed at fast-tracking homegrown solutions for Uganda’s development, a Ugandan delegation led by Paul Amoru, the Ugandan High Commissioner, held a strategic meeting with the MTN team led by MTN South Africa’s General Manager for Enterprise Solutions, Sudipto Moitra.
The delegation included representatives from the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat in the President’s Office (STI-OP), Kiira Motors Corporation, and MTN Uganda. The meeting followed the successful arrival in South Africa of the Kayoola E-Coach from Uganda.
Discussions centered on establishing strategic collaborations and public–private partnerships to foster the co-creation of innovative solutions across the bureaus under STI-OP.
Catherine Muwumuza, Superintendent of Support Services at STI-OP, called for common ground between MTN and STI-OP to scale the development and distribution of Uganda’s technologies and products across the continent and beyond.
“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, referring to the Ugandan-made fully electric Kayoola bus.
Kiira Motors Corporation’s flagship bus set off from Kampala on 20 November, embarking on a 13,000 km expedition to Cape Town, South Africa, and then back to Kampala. By the time it reached Johannesburg, it had covered 38.7% of the journey, equivalent to 4,916 km and saved 2,270 kg of carbon emissions.
This dialogue was informed by the successful partnership between MTN Uganda and Kiira Motors, which delivered Africa’s first fully connected, digital electric bus.
MTN’s Moitra shared MTN’s evolution from a telecom company to a technology company, highlighting the latest innovations in its ICT offerings.
“We have seen a lot of innovations from Uganda and are well poised to co-create with Uganda. MTN’s leadership is willing to support and scale the country’s innovation agenda,” Moitra said.
Ambassador Amoru thanked MTN for adhering to the President’s call during the Uganda–South Africa Investment Summit.
“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 engagement reaffirmed a shared commitment to scalable innovation, strengthened ecosystems, and the development of solutions that accelerate Africa’s progress.
