Uganda’s Ministry of ICT Is Building a National Innovator Registry — Deadline June 1

Uganda’s Ministry of ICT and National Guidance is calling on local developers, startups, technology companies, universities, and innovation hubs to submit working prototypes and enrol in a new National Innovator Registry — a database the government says Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) will draw on directly when sourcing talent for government digitisation projects. The submission deadline is June 1, 2026 at 23:59 EAT.

The initiative has two linked components. The first is the Government Systems Prototype Showcase, scheduled for June 25, where shortlisted applicants will present working prototypes to government evaluators. The second is the Uganda National Innovator Registry, which the Ministry describes as the central talent pool MDAs will consult when assigning government digitisation work — not a one-off procurement exercise, but an ongoing reference for future contracts and collaborations. The gazette formalising the registry is expected on July 5.

The Ministry has listed twelve areas of interest for prototypes: Digital Identity and Civil Registration, Revenue and Financial Management, Health Information Systems, Education Management Systems, Land and Property Administration, Agriculture and Agribusiness Management, Labour Management and Employment Services, Pension Management and Social Security, Justice, Law and Order, Interoperability and Data Exchange, Citizen Engagement and Service Delivery, and Monitoring and Evaluation Systems. That list covers essentially the full breadth of Uganda’s public-sector digitisation agenda.

The process runs on a tight schedule. Submissions close June 1; eligibility screening runs June 2–3; technical evaluation follows June 4–11; shortlisted applicants are notified June 13; and the Prototype Showcase takes place June 25. Only shortlisted teams attend the showcase — this is not an open exhibition. Applications go through the portal at gdr.ict.go.ug/innovators-showcase. The Ministry is handling enquiries at [email protected] and technical support at [email protected].

The notice is explicit on one point that sets it apart from typical government calls: “This is not a procurement initiative.” The registry is designed to connect government with local talent rather than run a standard competitive tender. In practice, that means enrolment in the registry is the goal — the Showcase is the mechanism for getting there, but registry inclusion is what opens the door to ongoing government digitisation work beyond this single call.

For Ugandan tech companies and developers who have built systems in any of the twelve sectors listed, this is a direct line to government clients at the MDA level. Uganda’s public sector has historically contracted foreign firms for large-scale digitisation projects; an explicit registry of pre-evaluated local innovators, with gazette backing, would shift that dynamic if MDAs actually use it as the primary sourcing channel. Whether the registry translates into real contracts will depend on how procurement processes reference it after July 5 — but getting on the list now costs only the time to submit a working prototype before the June 1 deadline.

via Ministry of ICT and National Guidance X account — Public Notice, issued 19 May 2026

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