Centenary Group Diversifies into Technology Services, Appoints Peter Kahiigi as CTO

The Centenary brand has for a while been known for banking services, with the largest customer base in Uganda. Recently the brand transformed itself into a group structure, forming Centenary Rural Development Group (Centenary Group). The Group structure offers avenues through which the shareholders can expand into auxiliary business activities to operate alongside the banking business.

In addition to Centenary Bank, Centenary Group already owns Centenary Foundation, a company that leverages funding from partners and social investors with a common social development agenda. Centenary Group will also venture into the insurance business, fund management, property development, and management as well expanding the Centenary banking brand outside Uganda.

The Group is also aware that rapid advances in digital technology are transforming the economic and financial landscape in Uganda. To this end, the Group has created a technology company called Centenary Technology Services (Cente-Tech) Limited which will play a key role in placing the Group’s subsidiary companies at the center of customers’ digital transformation and accelerate the Group’s digital agenda.

With this new formation, the Group has taken a further step and appointed former Director e-Government Services at NITA Uganda, Peter Kahiigi as the new Chief Technology Officer of Cente-Tech. He joins Dr. Grace Ssekakubo, a seasoned IT Specialist, at Cente-Tech’s helm.

Kahiigi bears decades of highly relevant experience to accelerate Centenary Group’s technology growth strategy. He is expected to provide strategic leadership in the development of technologically innovative solutions for Cente-Tech’s clients.

Kahiigi has previously worked in the Government of Uganda’s ICT Sector where he was heralded for the nation’s incredible progress in the digitization effort. He was the cornerstone for the revival and expansion of the National fibre optic backbone, development & deepening of e-services. The current appreciation and inclusion of ICT as a development pillar in the National Development Plan III is partly attributed to Kahiigi’s efforts. Currently, Kahiigi is an expert with Oxford University’s Global Center for Cyber Security.

Following the commencement of Cente-Tech operations, Century Group’s Executive Chairperson, Prof. John Ddumba Ssentamu said, “The key driving factors for the establishment of Cente-Tech by Centenary Group was to respond to the changing business environment and the strategies adopted by competitors to take advantage of innovative disruptions.” Adding that “Cente-Tech will be a key enabler to the success of the Group’s strategy as it will provide the technological infrastructure for service delivery that is very critical to the operations of the Group and its subsidiaries.”

Prof. Ssentamu concluded by saying that the Group is confident that the Cente-Tech team has significant potential to accelerate innovation and create value for their customers and shareholders

Cente-Tech’s clients should expect nothing less than the broadest and most innovative technological solutions and services portfolio in this data era.