• MTN Uganda, MTN Mobile Money and the Uganda Hotel Owners Association signed an MoU on 1 August 2025 to digitise operations across more than 780 hotels nationwide.

• The partnership will integrate mobile money payments, provide guest Wi-Fi and deploy cloud-based hotel management platforms to improve efficiency and reduce cash reliance.

• MTN Mobile Money revenue rose to 1.1 billion dollars in 2024 and processed 254 billion dollars in transactions, with Uganda recording the fastest user growth among the 14 markets served.

MTN Uganda, MTN Mobile Money (MoMo), and the Uganda Hotel Owners’ Association (UHOA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote digital transformation in Uganda’s hospitality sector. Signed on 1 August 2025 at Hotel Africana in Kampala, the agreement reflects MTN’s ongoing evolution under its “Ambition 2025” strategy, which aims to reposition the company as a comprehensive technology provider serving key sectors across the continent.

The partnership combines MTN Uganda’s telecommunications infrastructure and enterprise connectivity services with MoMo’s advanced financial technology capabilities and UHOA’s extensive network of over 780 hotels. Together, the three organisations intend to tackle long-standing operational inefficiencies by integrating digital tools into hotel workflows. This includes embedding mobile money for bookings and payments, deploying guest Wi-Fi solutions, and offering access to scalable, cloud-based hotel management platforms.

MTN MoMo’s role is central to the strategy, providing secure, real-time financial transaction capabilities via its Open API platform. This usually comes with the prospect of embedding Momo directly into point-of-sale systems. For the hotels, it can also include the booking engines and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. Such integration aims to streamline payments, improve reconciliation processes, and reduce reliance on risky cash-based transactions, which remain common in the sector. The initiative is especially pertinent as Uganda’s tourism industry, with hospitality as a core component, accounts for nearly 70% of tourism-related jobs.

MTN Uganda’s Enterprise Business division will support participating hotels with tailored connectivity packages, offering high-speed broadband over 4G and 5G networks combined with enterprise-grade service reliability. While service-level agreements (SLAs) have not yet been made public, the MoU outlines a phased rollout strategy that will be guided by consultations with hotel owners across regions. These consultations are intended to evaluate current digital maturity levels and determine suitable support packages, ensuring technical compatibility with existing hotel systems and platforms.

The collaboration also foresees future engagement with public tourism authorities, such as the Uganda Tourism Board and the Uganda Tour Operators Association. These wider partnerships are expected to contribute to the development of a unified digital tourism ecosystem, positioning Uganda’s hospitality sector to serve both domestic and international markets better. Significantly, the MoU creates a foundation for increased digital adoption at scale, starting with presentations and feedback sessions organised around the UHOA Expo 2025.

While the financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed, MTN and UHOA have confirmed that participating hotels will benefit from onboarding support, promotional campaigns, and discounted rates for connectivity and digital services. These incentives are particularly pertinent to small and mid-sized hotels, which often lack the resources to implement standalone digital systems but could greatly benefit from bundled solutions offered through the MTN ecosystem.

According to MTN Group’s 2024 financial results, Mobile Money revenue increased 19% year-on-year to USD 1.1 billion across the Group’s footprint, with Uganda contributing one of the fastest-growing customer bases. The platform now serves 66 million active users in 14 markets and processed more than USD 254 billion in transaction value during 2024, roughly 14% of the global mobile-money flow reported by GSMA. By extending these benefits to the hospitality sector, MTN is strengthening its strategic position as not merely a network provider but as a partner in digital transformation across industries.

Ultimately, the success of this initiative will depend on its implementation, the adaptability of hotel operators to new technologies, and the ability of MTN and UHOA to sustain ongoing stakeholder engagement. If successful, it may serve as a model for other sectors and regions seeking to combine telecommunications infrastructure, fintech, and sector-specific expertise to foster sustainable economic modernisation.

Hikmatu Bilali