Four Points Hotel, Kampala, 5 August 2025: The Minister of State for Energy, Hon. Sidronius Okasaai Opolot, today officiated at the inaugural Telecom Sector Power Forum held at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Kampala.
Organised under the theme “Powering the Telecom Sector to Drive Socio-Economic Transformation”, the forum brought together telecom service providers, regulators, and contractors. In his keynote remarks, Hon. Okasaai underscored the interdependence between electricity access and digital connectivity in advancing Uganda’s transformation agenda. He stressed that integrating energy and telecom infrastructure is a strategic imperative for national development.
“We are advancing a transformative shift in infrastructure planning, one that deliberately and systematically integrates telecom infrastructure into the energy sector’s development plans,” he said. The Minister also announced the Ministry’s intention to establish a joint infrastructure coordination framework in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance (ICT & NG), Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), private telecom providers, and grid and off-grid operators.
Mrs. Marek Busty, CEO of ATC Africa, emphasized that reliable power is key to making Uganda globally competitive: “Connectivity begins with electricity. To connect everyone, we must power every telecom tower and this requires working together.”
Closing the event, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, Minister for ICT & NG, highlighted the urgency of integration and collaboration, noting that NDP IV targets universal access to telecom services, achievable only with reliable power supply to telecom towers.
The forum was organised by UCC in partnership with ATC, UEDCL, MTN, and Airtel, with participation from ERA, Lyca Mobile, ATC Uganda, MEMD, URA, KCCA, GIZ, NEMA, and the U.S. Embassy.
