Centenary Group, through its technology subsidiary Centenary Technology Services (Cente-Tech), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MicroPay Uganda to develop and scale digital solutions aimed at improving access to essential services in education, healthcare, and insurance.

The partnership seeks to address challenges faced by individuals and families in accessing and paying for essential services by leveraging digital technology to create more convenient, affordable, and inclusive solutions.

Speaking during the signing ceremony at Mapeera House in Kampala on Monday, Centenary Group Board Chairman Prof. John Ddumba Ssentamu said the partnership builds on the institution’s long-standing commitment to extending financial services to underserved communities.

“Centenary’s story has always been about the people other institutions overlooked. We took banking to the market vendor, to the smallholder farmer and to the family saving a little at a time in a trading centre far from any branch. That is the legacy entrusted to us: meaningful inclusion, carried all the way to the last mile,” Prof. Ddumba said.

Under the partnership, Cente-Tech and MicroPay Uganda will develop digital solutions that simplify education payments and financing, improve access to healthcare services, and transform the way insurance products, premiums, and claims are managed.

In education, the partners will explore digital tools that enable parents and guardians to save towards school fees, make payments in instalments, and potentially access financing based on their payment history. The solutions will also support schools by improving visibility of cash flows and payment collections.

In healthcare, the partnership will focus on using digital platforms and agent networks to bring services closer to communities, reducing challenges linked to distance, accessibility, and payment processes.

The insurance component will focus on digitising access to policies, enabling flexible premium payments, and improving claims processing to make insurance services more accessible to families.

Peter Kahiigi, Chief Technology Officer at Centenary Technology Services, said technology can play a key role in removing barriers created by geography and income levels.

“ICT is an equaliser. A farmer with a phone can reach the same financial services as an executive in Kampala. Technology does not care where you were born or how much you earn, and when it is built well, it erases distances that money and geography have kept in place for generations,” Kahiigi said.

Cente-Tech will contribute its technology expertise, while Centenary Group will leverage its nationwide ecosystem and customer reach. The partnership builds on Cente-Tech’s digital services expansion, including the launch of GonzaPay, which is supported by more than 9,000 Cente Agents across Uganda.

MicroPay Uganda Board Chairperson Dr. Jennifer Aduwo said strategic partnerships are critical in achieving meaningful financial inclusion.

“The tangible benefits of financial inclusion can only be fully realised through purposeful and visionary partnerships such as this collaboration between MicroPay Uganda and the Centenary Group,” Dr. Aduwo said.

She noted that MicroPay Uganda brings more than 12 years of experience in digital payments, supported by its licensing as a Payment Service Provider and Payment System Operator under the regulation of the Bank of Uganda.