On 22nd April 2026, RefugeeLINK held an engagement meeting with the Ministry of ICT at their offices on Parliamentary Avenue to discuss potential collaboration on strengthening ICT access, digital skills development, and livelihood opportunities for refugees and host communities.
The discussions focused on the strategic role of ICT in driving employment and enterprise growth, with recognition that the sector is closely linked to other areas such as logistics, training, and small business development. It was noted that digital skills and ICT-enabled services continue to present significant opportunities for youth employment and entrepreneurship.
RefugeeLINK presented its work as a social enterprise focused on livelihoods, innovation, networking, and knowledge sharing, with a target group that includes refugees and host communities, particularly urban refugees in Kampala. The organization highlighted its ongoing efforts in business incubation for refugee-led SMEs, community outreach, and onboarding entrepreneurs into structured support systems.
A key point of discussion was the development of a digital platform aimed at improving access to employment opportunities, increasing visibility for refugee-led businesses, and connecting entrepreneurs to employers and service providers. The importance of partnerships in enabling access to finance and scaling impact was also emphasized.
RefugeeLINK also shared insights on its current ICT hub in Rubaga, which serves as a training and coordination space. However, limitations in ICT equipment such as computers and digital learning tools were noted, alongside a high demand for basic computer training, digital communication skills, and business digitization support among refugee communities.
The meeting further explored long-term opportunities such as establishing a refugee-led call centre with multilingual capacity, potentially linked to global outsourcing opportunities as a sustainable income-generating model.
Partnership opportunities were discussed with potential alignment to national programs such as the National ICT Innovation Hub and broader skills development initiatives that could support refugee inclusion in digital economy pathways.
The Ministry acknowledged ongoing efforts in digital literacy programming, including past initiatives that have reached over 1,200 refugees, and the potential to build on such foundations.
The meeting concluded with agreement to explore areas of collaboration further, strengthen alignment with national ICT initiatives, and develop joint approaches to expanding ICT-enabled livelihood opportunities for refugees and host communities.