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How a Smartphone Sparked One of Uganda’s Boldest Startups

Obed Kankiriho
By
Obed Kankiriho
Journalism is not just a job; it is a calling. Mr Obed Kankiriho believes journalism is one of the few platforms where the views of the...
5 Min Read
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From rural Uganda to becoming one of East Africa’s emerging tech leaders, 24-year-old Busiinge Aggrey is transforming the region’s digital media and cloud computing landscape.

Born on May 22, 2000, in Kakumiro District, Western Uganda, Aggrey is the founder and CEO of Abjine Media Group, a fast-growing multimedia and technology conglomerate with interests spanning digital publishing, film production, and cloud services. His ventures include The Black Examiner, one of Uganda’s fastest-growing digital news platforms, and Host Darling Cloud and Splest, now ranked among Africa’s top domain registrars and web hosting providers.

Raised in a low-income household by a single mother living with HIV, Aggrey’s early years were marked by financial hardship. He grew up alongside his twin brother and two sisters, often facing challenges most children his age would not endure. Despite these circumstances, Aggrey excelled in school, regularly topping his classes and showing early signs of leadership and creativity.

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His passion for storytelling and technology emerged during his teenage years. While still in secondary school, he founded a local drama group, Elite Universal Actors and Actresses, and went on to establish Virtual Squid Productions, a small film outfit where he created and edited short skits using a smartphone.

Aggrey’s formal media career began in 2018 when he joined Vision Films, a local production studio, as a cinematographer and editor. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to widespread job cuts, and he was laid off.

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Rather than give up, Aggrey sold his YouTube channel to an NGO, using the proceeds to buy a professional camera. This move launched his freelance videography career, shooting weddings, music videos, and events—income that would later fuel his media and tech ventures.

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Later in 2020, Aggrey founded Abjine Productions, which would later evolve into Abjine Media Group PLC. The name “Abjine” is an acronym formed from the names of his family members and supporters: Aggrey, Busiinge, Janet, Ivan, Nalongo (his mother’s honorific as a mother of twins), and Everyone.

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The same year, he launched a WordPress blog called The Black Screen, which he rebranded as The Black Examiner. By 2023, the platform had grown into one of Uganda’s leading independent digital news outlets, eventually rebranding under the domain examiner.co.ug.

Aggrey later sold off some of his digital assets, including Kamunye Online and The Daily Telegraph Uganda, to private investors, marking a shift toward cloud infrastructure and tech innovation.

In early 2024, Aggrey made a bold decision: he sold The Black Examiner and reinvested the capital into building cloud infrastructure platforms tailored to African markets. The result was Host Darling Cloud and Splest, web hosting and domain registration platforms designed to offer scalable, affordable solutions across the region.

Today, the two platforms host thousands of websites and are counted among East Africa’s fastest-growing cloud providers, filling a critical gap in a region where reliable digital infrastructure remains limited.

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Aggrey’s ambition didn’t stop there. He launched two new publications:

  • The Daily Nile – covering regional affairs in the Nile Basin countries
  • The Ghetto Post – amplifying stories from underrepresented urban communities in East Africa

These platforms reflect his commitment to both technological innovation and inclusive storytelling.

In 2023, he was named one of Uganda’s youngest influential filmmakers by The East African. His cloud ventures have also earned praise for making enterprise-level hosting solutions accessible to individuals and small businesses.

At just 24, Busiinge Aggrey represents a new wave of African tech entrepreneurs who are not only building businesses but reshaping the continent’s digital future. From grassroots storytelling to scalable digital infrastructure, Aggrey’s story is one of vision, resilience, and purpose.

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Journalism is not just a job; it is a calling. Mr Obed Kankiriho believes journalism is one of the few platforms where the views of the oppressed and marginalized can be heard. This is what his journalism aims to do: bring to light untold stories.
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