Computer Refurbishment Centre Opens for Business in Kampala, Uganda

Information and communications technology (ICT) has proven to be a powerful tool for business growth around the world, but in Uganda, where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the cornerstones of the local economy, the shortage of high-quality, affordable hardware and software has been a barrier to expansion.

A partnership signed in 2007 between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Microsoft to support business opportunities and entrepreneurship among local SMEs has aimed to help address that problem by linking from end to end the country's access to affordable PCs and ICT training.

At a ceremony on June 12, 2008, the Government of Uganda joined UNIDO and the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Group to open the Uganda Green Computers Company, a computer refurbishment centre in Kampala. Designed to make PC ownership more relevant, affordable and accessible, the refurbishment center will help SMEs increase their productivity, share information, grow their business and create local jobs.

The Uganda Green Computers Company's business model has also been designed with commercial and environmental sustainability at the fore. The refurbishment center will supply quality, branded PCs with genuine Windows software, a one-year warranty, after-sales support and recycling solutions at the end of the lifetime of the computers.

Learn more about how Microsoft's Secondary PC initiative seeks to meet the goals of digital inclusion and environmental stewardship through innovation, jobs, and opportunity.