NITA-Uganda uses the Rwenzori Marathon to promote a digital marketplace for local artisans

Local craft makers in the Rwenzori region are being encouraged to embrace e-commerce as the National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-Uganda) steps up efforts to connect Ugandan artisans to wider domestic and international markets.

NITA-Uganda used the Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon held in Kasese to onboard craft makers onto UG Crafts, an e-commerce platform developed under the Uganda Digital Acceleration Project (UDAP-GovNet).

The initiative is aimed at helping artisans showcase and market their products online, expanding their customer base beyond physical markets and tourist destinations.

NITA-Uganda said UG Crafts gives craft makers and artisans an opportunity to reach both local and international audiences while using technology to preserve and promote Uganda’s cultural heritage.

The agency described the Rwenzori Marathon as an important platform for engaging artisans and exposing their products to visitors and participants attending the event.

Connecting artisans to global markets

Through UG Crafts, craft makers can gain a digital presence that allows their products to be discovered by customers beyond their immediate communities.

The platform is part of broader government efforts to promote digital adoption among small businesses and enable them to participate in the growing digital economy.

For artisans, whose businesses often depend heavily on physical shops, tourist traffic, and local markets, online platforms can provide an additional channel for reaching potential customers.

NITA-Uganda said the platform is particularly important for promoting traditional crafts and ensuring that Uganda’s cultural products can reach wider markets.

The initiative also provides an opportunity for artisans to benefit from the growing intersection between tourism, culture, and technology.

Kasenyi artisans showcase their work

Craft makers from Kasenyi Craft Shop, located in Queen Elizabeth National Park, were among the artisans hosted at NITA-Uganda’s exhibition tent during the mar

The craft shop, which is already onboarded on UG Crafts, showcased its products and craftsmanship to participants and visitors attending the event.

Kasenyi’s participation demonstrated how digital platforms can complement physical tourism-based businesses by allowing artisans to operate near major tourist attractions to reach customers outside the areas where they operate.

The Rwenzori region attracts visitors through its tourism, cultural, and natural attractions, creating opportunities for local craft makers to benefit from increased tourist activity.

However, digital platforms such as UG Crafts could allow those businesses to maintain contact with customers even after visitors leave the region.

Technology meets cultural heritage

NITA-Uganda said the initiative is part of its efforts to use technology not only to drive economic opportunities but also to preserve African heritage.

Traditional crafts represent an important component of Uganda’s cultural identity and provide livelihoods for thousands of artisans across the country.

By helping artisans establish an online presence, the agency hopes to ensure that traditional products remain visible and commercially viable in an increasingly digital marketplace.

The onboarding exercise at the Rwenzori Marathon also highlighted the potential for major sporting and cultural events to serve as platforms for connecting small businesses with digital opportunities.

As Uganda accelerates digital transformation under UDAP-GovNet, initiatives such as UG Crafts could provide small-scale producers with new ways to market their products, reach customers, and participate in the formal digital economy.

For craft makers in tourism destinations such as Kasese and Queen Elizabeth National Park, the combination of tourism and e-commerce offers an opportunity to turn local craftsmanship into products with a potentially much wider market.

NITA-Uganda’s engagement at the Rwenzori Marathon therefore went beyond showcasing crafts. It demonstrated how digital technology can help connect Uganda’s cultural heritage and local entrepreneurship to the global marketplace.