Uganda to invest shs83 billion in literacy and digital skills programme

2 September 2025, 5:33 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The Minister of State for Gender, Labour and Social Development, Hon Peace Mutuuzo, has announced that Uganda will scale up its literacy and digital skills programmes with an investment of Shs83 billion over the next five years, starting in the 2025/26 financial year.

Speaking to journalists at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, Mutuuzo noted that Uganda’s national literacy rate now stands at 76% as of 2024, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). However, she cautioned that an estimated 11.9 million Ugandans remain illiterate, the majority of whom are women.

“In an age where digital literacy—the ability to use mobile money, send an email, or access online services—is a prerequisite for economic participation, this illiteracy gap threatens to widen the divide between the connected and the marginalised,” she said.

The Minister emphasised that this year’s International Literacy Day theme, ‘Promoting Literacy in the Digital Era’, reflects Uganda’s urgent challenge of bridging the literacy gap. She highlighted the government’s longstanding commitment, rooted in Article 30 of the Constitution and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).

Uganda’s literacy journey, she noted, began with the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme in 1997, followed by the Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) initiative, and later the Integrated Community Learning for Wealth Creation (ICOLEW) programme. ICOLEW, she explained, links learning with livelihood skills under the Parish Development Model (PDM), embedding education into community development.

To build on this, the government has now approved the nationwide Support to the Implementation of Integrated Community Learning for Wealth Creation (SUICOLEW) programme. The five-year initiative will focus on establishing community learning centres and expanding digital literacy, particularly for women and youth.

“This investment is not just a budget line; it is a strategic alignment with key national frameworks, including the NDP IV and the NRM Manifesto,” Mutuuzo stressed. She added that the programme will enhance human capital development, financial inclusion, and self-reliance.

The Minister further revealed that the government is working with NGOs, faith-based organisations, and community groups to ensure a multi-sectoral approach to literacy.

She called on all stakeholders to unite behind the vision of universal literacy, noting that International Literacy Day will be marked on 8 September 2025.