Ps. Aminah Zawedde Launches URSB’s Online Business Registration System

The Permanent Sectary of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Aminah Zawedde has launched the Uganda Registration Services Bureau’s (URSB) Online Business Registration System (OBRS) intending to register 873,546 unregistered businesses by the financial year 2026/27.

The launch of the OBRS took place during the Registrar General’s mid-year stakeholder engagement at the URSB headquarters in Kololo and Zawedde applauded the URSB team for developing the system, which according to the Chair Board of Directors at URSB, Ambassador Rt. Hon. Can. Francis Butagira will ease in doing business in Uganda as the process has become easy online.

Zawedde said the Ministry believes that embracing a digital transformation will result in significant economic growth by leveraging digital solutions, automation and online services. This will empower businesses to embark on their entrepreneurial ventures with greater efficiency

In his remarks, the Director of Business registration at URSB Ntale Mustapher, explained that the Online Business registration system (OBRS), was rolled out in a phased approach on December 9th, 2022 to allow clients to create accounts, make applications, and get real-time feedback on their applications.

The rollout started with the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) and currently has 88,775 individual accounts, 120,764 business accounts, 203 back-offices, 25 MDAs, and 18 private Organizations, adding up to 209,785 users on the new system.

URSB has been able to collect over UGX90 billion in Non-Tax Revenue during the reporting period and has reduced the cost of compliance, reduced the cost of registration, improved government regulatory oversight, curbed revenue leakage, and improved service accessibility.

Ms. Mercy Kainobwisho the Registrar General at URSB said the launch of OBRS is a game-changer in the registration process adding that the system employs 60 direct employees and over 100 indirect employees as a way of mitigating unemployment rates in the country.

Key Performance highlights

URSB has had the following achievements in the reporting period July to March of the financial year 2023/2024;

1. They have implemented of mass business initiative with 20,160 new companies and 19,063 business names in the period July to March of financial year 2023/24 and have conducted 43 business clinics countrywide.
2. They have facilitated access to affordable credit with a registered collateral of 7,353 in the reporting period.
3. Trained the business community and implemented the business aftercare program.
4. Conducted the seventh annual insolvency conference from 25th to 26th March 2024.
5. Conducted Data clean-up for businesses’ improved processes in period FY23/24. In the process, 48,870 Businesses names and companies’ data were cleaned up.
6. Formalized the economy, and registered many practitioners following the government NDPII.
7. The Bureau was able to launch the 33rd Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Kampala University. The 34th TISC is set to be opened at Lira University before the end of FY23/24.
8. They have engaged and trained masses for the registration of intellectual property rights, including the geographical indication registration for pronounced agricultural trademarks.
9. They celebrated the removal of Uganda from the Financial Action Point Task Force (FATF) standards’ grey list.

To access the OBRS, users can go to the URSB website, to get started.