The Minister for Information, Communication Technology, and National Guidance, Chris Baryomunsi has announced that there has been a cut in internet prices from $70  to $35  per Mbps per month effective August 1, 2023.

During a press conference held at Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, the minister flanked by officials from National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U) said that the offer is only available to government Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), and District Local Governments.

“I would like to note that this price reduction means government offices connected to the National Backbone Infrastructure (NBI) will consume internet at the lowest price in the market,” Baryomunsi said.

“Members I have a strong conviction that our actions today will inspire private internet service providers to follow suit, ultimately benefiting all Ugandans with more affordable and accessible internet services for its unprecedented opportunities in innovation growth and development,” Baryomunsi added.

Baryomunsi noted that with this bold move, NITA-U will drive substantial savings on the government’s communication budget, catalyze the option of E-Government Services and deepen digitization.

According to Dr. Hatwib Mugasa, the Executive Director at NITA-U, the journey of optimization and digitization started in 2013, and it’s now about 10 years.

“As the information technology (IT) arm of the government, we have come a long way in optimizing IT service usage and absorption in the government and the private sector,” Mugasa said.

“This price cut provision also extends to special interest groups like the innovation hubs, public schools, Universities, and other tertiary institutions,” Mugasa added.

The price cut means that a public office that has been spending over UGX 253,646 per month for unlimited internet, will now use UGX 126,984 per month for the same internet.