Connect Rural Uganda - leaving noone behind in the Digital era - UNCDF

At the goal level, the Connect Rural Uganda program achieved significant results in 2023. The primary objective was to foster an inclusive digital economy that reached rural and underserved populations. Here are the key outcomes: - Growth of Inclusive Digital Economy:A noticeable increase in the adoption of digital services, though gaps still exist, particularly for women. Around 23% of women remain excluded from the digital economy. Customer Access and Usage of Digital Services:The number of registered users of new or improved digital services reached 10.7 million by the end of 2023. However, active usage was only at 14%, with 33% being women, highlighting the need for more engagement. Scaling Business Models:Throughout 2023, one new digital business model was scaled, contributing to a total of 20 models scaled since the start of the program. Sustaining the use of these models remains a challenge. These results demonstrate progress in digital inclusion but also underscore areas needing continued focus, such as improving active usage and addressing barriers for women. Sector outcomes The key results in the agriculture sector are: - Farmer Engagement:296,909 farmers (63% women, 6% refugees) were registered and trained to use digital services, increasing their digital literacy and access to services such as market information, extension services, and financial resources. However, only 106,640 farmers remained active users of these digital services. - Solar-powered Irrigation:A strategic partnership with Sunculture provided solar-powered irrigation systems to 111,747 smallholder farmers. Over 300 farmers received direct technical assistance, and 200 farmers purchased solar irrigation pumps. Insurance and Financial Services:Through partnerships with ACRE Africa and OKO insurance, 2,325 farmers received weather-based index insurance to mitigate climate risks. Digital lending models enabled 2,726 loans disbursed to farmers through partnerships with VSLAs and cooperatives, amounting to UGX 780,913,756. Market Access: 62,156 farmers were connected to 208 market actors and off-takers, improving their ability to sell agricultural products at fair prices.Over 297,117 farmers gained improved knowledge to access digital platforms for inputs, agro-advisory services, and market opportunities . These results demonstrate progress in increasing digital literacy, enhancing access to agricultural resources, improving market access, and offering climate-smart solutions. The key results in the education sector are: - SchoolPay System Growth: 273,375 parents and students registered to use the SchoolPay application for digital school fee payments. Of these, 130,741 parents used the system for digital payments, and 337 parents saved a total of UGX 2,527,700 through the platform. - School Participation: The SchoolPay system expanded to 939 schools, with 760 schools actively using it by the end of 2023. The platform was also used for attendance monitoring, achieving an 82% attendance rate, with women constituting 47% of total attendees. These results reflect significant progress in digitizing school fee payments, expanding school participation, and enhancing attendance tracking in education. The key results in the health sector are: - e-CHIS (Electronic Community Health Information System) Expansion: 1,472 Village Health Teams (VHTs) across 8 districts used the e-CHIS digital platform, improving reporting efficiency and access to health information. This tool enabled better tracking of patient care and health outcomes.The Ministry of Health expanded e-CHIS to cover more sub-counties in the pilot districts of Koboko, Lira, Maracha, and Nebbi, and extended to 4 additional districts: Amuru, Lamwo, Ntungamo, and Oyam. - VHTs Empowerment:1,472 VHTs (430 women, 990 men, and 52 youth) used the digital tool for reporting and assisting in health planning. It improved the timeliness of data collection and helped health facilities focus on critical cases. 1640 VHTs were registered and trained on mobile data collection using e-CHIS, aiding the scale-up of the digital tool. - Impact on Community Health: 741,756 community members were visited by VHTs using the e-CHIS platform in 2023, helping with health case identification and support. These results highlight the improvements in digital health reporting, enhanced capacity of VHTs, and increased community outreach through the e-CHIS platform. The key results in the digital sector are: - Mobile Money Usage: 587,803 additional customers (including 6,449 refugees) became active on mobile money platforms due to improved infrastructure and services. 1,099,482 customers actively used mobile money for payments, with 185,325 customers registered in savings portfolios amounting to UGX 10.58 billion, and 46,027 customers with loans totaling UGX 3.95 billion. - Digital Literacy Toolkit: A digital literacy toolkit was developed and uploaded to the Kolibri e-learning platform, which was used by partners like Nyowe Ventures and Izere Education to train women in the shea value chain and youth in various districts. - Device Financing and Distribution: 120,634 smartphones were acquired by individuals through customized credit options under the Womens Economic Empowerment (WEE) project. 12,041 digital agents were recruited and supported to offer mobile money services to rural communities. - Training and Digital Skills Development: 34,258 community members were trained in digital literacy, with 34,207 reporting enhanced skills, and 34,196 adopting and utilizing digital services post-training . These results indicate strong progress in mobile money adoption, digital literacy training, and access to digital devices, which are essential for expanding digital inclusion in rural communities.

The overall objective of the intervention is to empower rural communities, smallholder farmers, agribusiness, and refugees, in Uganda to live productive and healthy lives by expanding access and usage to digital services". The low-income rural population has not benefited equally from technological developments, such as phones and information services, agriculture equipment, digital finance, and other ICT solutions. Production innovations that have boosted agriculture in developing countries over the past 40 years have not benefited the rural poorest. The same applies to access to modern, basic services such as energy, health, and education. The rate at which digital technology is allowing societies to grow at a faster pace, brings worry about the impact of the digital divide and the exclusion for those who do not have opportunity or choice to participate in digital economies. Identifying, adapting and enabling access to digital innovation and technology solutions for the low-income vulnerable communities holds potential to impact their livelihoods and facilitate sustained escapes out of poverty. The program activities are categorized in four workstreams: 1) Enabling Policy and Regulatory Environment, 2) Infrastructure, 3) Inclusive Innovation and 4) Skills. In addition to these four work streams, UNCDF conducts research, and invests in learning and knowledge sharing, which contributes to an enabling digital ecosystem. In terms of impact on various SDGs, from a customer segment perspective, the Uganda program has a specific focus on women (SDG 5: gender equality), refugees (SDG 10: reduced inequalities) and youths & MSMEs (SDG8: Decent work and economic growth). Furthermore, it will explore digital services in various sectors: agriculture (SDG2: zero hunger), health (SDG3: Good health and well-being), Education (SDG4: Quality Education), Energy (SDG7: affordable and clean energy & SDGs 13: climate action) and finance.