Centenary Group, through its technology company – Centenary Technology Services, has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U) with Service Cops, formalizing a strategic technology and business partnership aimed at accelerating digital transformation, deepening financial inclusion, and expanding access to modern digital services across Uganda and the wider African region.
Service Cops is a Pan African Technology Innovations and Outsourcing Solutions powerhouse that specializes in developing proprietary digital financial solutions, bespoke enterprise platforms and business outsourcing solutions for African markets and beyond.
The partnership, coordinated at Group level through Centenary Technology Services (Cente-Tech), brings together Centenary Group’s 43-year legacy of social-impact financial inclusion and Service Cops’ 16 years of expertise in enterprise technology, digital integrations and large-scale systems deployment.
The partnership reflects a broader continental and global shift toward purposeful digital development. It brings together two African companies choosing collaboration over competition and intentionally strengthening African capability rather than importing solutions. This approach aligns with the UNDP Digital Strategy (2022–2025), which highlights digital as “an empowering force for people and planet” and calls for inclusive, rights-based, well-designed digital ecosystems that leave no one behind.
Speaking at the signing of the partnership, Centenary Group Board chairman Prof. John Ddumba Sentamu said for 43 years, the Centenary brand has stood for social mission, community transformation and sustainable economic empowerment and as it expands across banking, investment, property management and soon unit trust and insurance, the responsibility is going to deepen.
“This partnership is an important step in that direction as it provides the technological collaboration on which we can build more relevant, seamless and inclusive services for millions across Uganda and the broader region,” said Prof. Sentamu.
Centenary Bank Managing Director Mr. Fabian Kasi described the partnership as a pivotal moment not only for the bank but for Uganda’s broader digital and financial ecosystem.
According to the 2024 FinScope Survey, Uganda’s financial inclusion has grown from 77% in 2018 to 81% in 2024, yet barriers such as rural infrastructure gaps, low digital literacy and gender disparities remain.
Centenary Bank has continued to play a leading role in bridging these gaps. Its extensive network of close to 9,000 agents surpasses the reach of traditional bank branches, while digital platforms such as CenteMobile enable millions of customers to transact anywhere, anytime.
Breaking Barriers: Charles Mudiwa on Intergenerational Leadership at Makerere This year alone, the bank’s financial literacy trainings have reached almost 17,000 individuals, 57% of whom were women. Additionally, over 500,000 people have benefitted from Centenary’s nationwide digital-safety and anti-fraud campaigns, reinforcing Centenary’s commitment to driving a safer, more inclusive and innovation-ready financial ecosystem for Uganda and the wider African region.
Kasi said that this partnership will have a transformative impact on Centenary Bank, beginning with the acceleration of digital product development and rollout. “By combining the bank’s deep customer insights and regulatory experience with Service Cops’ strong technical expertise, Centenary Bank will be able to introduce new digital services more quickly, upgrade existing platforms with greater efficiency and respond faster to customer needs. This will strengthen the bank’s competitiveness in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.”
He further added that customer experience will also improve significantly across all channels, as the partnership will enhance onboarding processes, improve transaction processing speeds, boost system reliability and refine user interfaces on both mobile and web platforms.
The CEO of Cente Tech Dr Grace Ssekakubo described the partnership as a powerful alignment of two institutions that share a common purpose of expanding access to digital services and bringing inclusion to every corner of our communities.
“Through this partnership, we will co-develop and commercialize digital solutions in education, healthcare, insurance, and financial services, and extend them to the last mile. The impact will be felt in everyday life: students learning digitally, farmers accessing financial services and insurance on mobile, families engaging with health and financial ecosystems with unprecedented ease,” Dr Ssekakubo said.
The Executive Chairman of Service Cops, Mr. Joseph Ndiho Kizza emphasized that the collaboration represents a new chapter in African-led technological innovation.
“Our partnership with Centenary Group reflects a shared belief that African challenges are best solved through African-built digital solutions. By combining our technology capabilities with the Group’s deep digital inclusion expertise, we are laying a foundation for scalable, secure and transformative digital services across the continent,” he said.
