Parliament’s Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation has called for a clear revenue-sharing framework to ensure the government earns returns from billions of shillings invested in science, technology and innovation. The committee’s chairperson, Dr Samuel Opio Acuti, said publicly funded innovations must generate measurable economic value for Ugandans through royalties, equity, licensing arrangements and commercial revenues.
Acuti, the MP for Kole North, made the call during an interface with officials from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat under the Office of the President, who presented MPs with an update on progress in health, mobility, engineering, agriculture and digital technologies.
He said Parliament wants mechanisms that enable the government to recover value from innovations developed using taxpayers’ money. The call comes as Uganda pursues the National Development Plan IV (NDP IV) target of making science, technology and innovation a US$10 billion, approximately Shs37 trillion, contributor to the national economy through knowledge-based industries, import substitution and value-added exports.
According to the report presented to the committee, government investment over the past five years has transformed Uganda’s STI ecosystem from research-focused institutions into commercially oriented industries capable of attracting private investment. The Secretariat reported that public investment has leveraged more than US$800 million, approximately Shs2.9 trillion, in venture capital commitments, of which US$150 million, about Shs558 billion, has already been realised.
The investments have also supported the establishment of more than 120 innovation-driven enterprises across strategic sectors. Dr Cosmas Mwikirize, Superintendent of Industrial Value Chains Development at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat, told MPs that the next phase should focus on commercialisation, government procurement and industrial scale-up to ensure Uganda earns sustained returns from technologies developed using public funds.
The report notes that the country’s challenge has shifted from generating scientific discoveries to turning them into operating factories, profitable companies, exports and high-value jobs. The health sector has emerged as one of the strongest performers under the STI programme. According to the report, Uganda has developed four human vaccine candidates that have completed pre-clinical studies, while its patented adenovector vaccine platform has attracted £10 million, approximately Shs42 billion, in international funding for vaccines targeting Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, Rift Valley Fever and Marburg disease.
Government has also established the country’s first vaccine “fill-and-finish” manufacturing facility and upgraded production infrastructure for both human and animal vaccines. Locally developed PCR kits have supported more than two million COVID-19 tests, saving more than US$40 million, approximately Shs148 billion, in imports. The report further indicates that locally manufactured rapid diagnostic kits for malaria, HIV and sickle-cell disease generated US$75 million, about Shs279 billion, in revenue over the past year, while more than 50 therapeutic products are progressing through various stages of development.
The committee also heard that government investment has accelerated Uganda’s electric mobility industry.
Investment in the sector increased from US$89 million, approximately Shs331 billion, in 2021 to more than US$175 million, about Shs651 billion, in 2025, with government accounting for approximately 68.6 percent of cumulative investment. Annual production capacity has increased from about 2,000 electric vehicles to 79,000 units, while local content has risen to as much as 40 percent.
The industry has created more than 2,100 direct jobs and 20,000 indirect jobs, with revenues growing to US$29.7 million, approximately Shs110 billion, and tax remittances reaching Shs24.2 billion in 2025. The Engineering Development and Innovation Centre has also operationalised two national technology centres, created 690 direct jobs, incubated more than 10 innovation-driven enterprises and launched an engineering accelerator programme to commercialise locally developed technologies.
Officials said Uganda has also made progress in technologies for green steel production, lithium battery materials, wastewater treatment, renewable energy systems, solar-powered water pumps and precision agriculture. In agriculture, STI interventions have focused on increasing the value earned from Uganda’s traditional commodities. The Africa Coffee Park has established industrial processing lines for roasted coffee, soluble coffee, capsules and cosmetics, with six certified products already on the market. More than 40 agro-based innovations covering cassava, fruits, dairy, cocoa, poultry, fisheries, leather and textiles are also under development.
Government has completed value-chain analyses for banana, coffee, mango, citrus, leather and textile industries while developing regional industrial strategies for Busoga and Bukedi. The Banana Industrial Research and Development Centre has generated more than Shs14.5 billion in cumulative sales and established a market network serving more than 2,000 retail outlets and 355 schools.
The committee also received an update on Uganda’s progress in Industry 4.0 technologies. The Deep Tech Centre of Excellence has established local electronics manufacturing capacity, producing smart electricity meters, industrial controllers and other consumer electronics that are now sold in Uganda and more than 10 African countries. The government has also launched the ABQ sovereign cloud platform, started developing Uganda’s first foundational artificial intelligence model and expanded programmes supporting artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and climate technologies.
The report says more than 1,000 engineers are being trained in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies as part of efforts to build a knowledge-based economy. Acuti said the progress demonstrates that public investment in science and innovation is beginning to produce tangible industrial results. However, he stressed that the government must establish clear mechanisms for sharing revenues generated from publicly financed innovations. He said such frameworks would ensure that Ugandans receive long-term returns from the public resources invested in developing the technologies-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
