Uganda has marked a defining milestone in its digital transformation journey with the official launch of ABQ Cloud, a sovereign cloud ecosystem designed to secure national data, empower local innovators and strengthen the country’s digital economy.
The unveiling took place at the Deep Tech Hub inside the Raxio Data Centre in Namanve and was officiated by Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Monica Musenero Masanza. The ceremony brought together officials from the Science, Technology and Innovation Office of the President (STI-OP), alongside leaders from ABQ Cloud, Roke Cloud, AfriQloud, EDiC and members of Uganda’s innovation ecosystem.
More than a product launch, the moment signalled a strategic assertion of digital independence, anchoring critical infrastructure within national borders and reducing reliance on offshore cloud providers.
Securing Uganda’s Digital Future
ABQ Cloud is positioned as a platform built by Ugandans for Uganda and Africa. By hosting data locally and pricing services in Ugandan shillings, it addresses long-standing constraints such as foreign exchange volatility, high capital expenditure, payment barriers and latency associated with international hosting.
For startups, enterprises and government institutions, the platform offers secure, affordable and domestically managed cloud services, strengthening compliance, cybersecurity and operational resilience.
Speaking at the launch, Musenero described the initiative as a cornerstone of Uganda’s economic transformation agenda.
“ABQ Cloud represents the future of Uganda’s digital economy. By investing in sovereign infrastructure, we are empowering our innovators, protecting our national data and positioning Uganda as a leader in Africa’s digital transformation,” she said.
She emphasised that control over digital assets is increasingly central to economic competitiveness and national security.
Infrastructure Designed for Scale and Innovation
Eric Mugerwa, Chief Technology Officer of ABQ Cloud, said the platform is structured to unlock Uganda’s full digital potential by lowering entry barriers and enabling scalable growth.
“ABQ Cloud is a foundation for Uganda’s digital independence. By providing secure, affordable and locally hosted cloud services, we are enabling innovators, businesses and government to build confidently, innovate faster and scale sustainably,” he said.
A guided tour of the Raxio facility showcased globally certified infrastructure capable of supporting high-performance computing, artificial intelligence workloads and advanced analytics, positioning Uganda to participate more competitively in emerging digital industries.
Caroline Kamaitha, General Manager of Raxio Data Centre, said the partnership blends international standards with local priorities.
“This collaboration ensures Uganda’s data remains secure and accessible, supported by infrastructure built to global standards while serving domestic needs,” she noted.
Democratizing Access Through MBQ
A key highlight of the launch was the introduction of MBQ, a cloud infrastructure platform developed in partnership with Roke Cloud and the STI Secretariat.
Peter Muhumuza, Chief Technical Officer at Roke Telkom and Roke Cloud, described MBQ as a deliberate effort to democratize cloud access and nurture local cloud service providers.
“Many innovators rely on foreign platforms like Amazon for cloud space. We have now brought that capability home with government support. It is deployed here at the Uganda Data Centre,” he said.
The model significantly lowers capital requirements for entrepreneurs. Instead of investing heavily in servers and hardware, businesses can leverage ready infrastructure and white-labelled solutions to serve their own customers.
Muhumuza added that selected innovators will receive free cloud space to refine and scale their products, noting that the platform is AI-ready and structured to support next-generation technologies.
He underscored the competitive advantages of local hosting: enhanced data protection, reduced latency, flexible local billing in Ugandan shillings and elimination of international payment barriers.
Backing Innovation with Capital and Connectivity
In a move to strengthen the innovation pipeline, the event also recognised winners of a national hackathon organised by STI under the Industry 4.0+ Bureau. The top five innovators were awarded Shs 2.5 million in seed funding, one year of free cloud credits, incubation and mentorship at the Deep Tech Centre of Excellence, and complimentary internet access for a year.
Developed through collaboration between STI-OP, EDiC, AfriQloud, Raxio Data Centre and Roke Cloud, ABQ Cloud is expected to underpin government digital services, support enterprise transformation and provide startups with secure, cost-effective infrastructure to scale regionally and globally.
