Cricket Uganda has secured a place on the global stage after winning two Africa Region honours in the 2025 ICC Development Awards, with both initiatives now advancing to the final round of global voting.
The achievement marks a significant milestone for Ugandan cricket, highlighting the sport’s growing role not only in competition but also in social development, public health and community inclusion.
The country’s first regional success came in the ICC Development Initiative of the Year category through the Girls’ Schools Cricket Week held in Gulu City in May 2025. The tournament, which was hosted in Northern Uganda for the first time, attracted 16 schools to the Northern Cricket Hub and Gulu High School grounds. Olila High School emerged as the national champions at the end of the competition.
Cricket Uganda’s second award came in the ICC Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year category through the “Cricket Grannies” project in Jinja. Organised by coach Aaron Kusaasira in October 2025, the initiative brought together 56 elderly women who competed across four teams in friendly matches designed to encourage active lifestyles and help combat hypertension.
Cricket Uganda Development Manager Davis Turinawe said taking one of the organisation’s flagship tournaments to Gulu was a deliberate move aimed at expanding the game’s reach across the country.
“Taking a flagship national tournament to Gulu was a deliberate, strategic decision to break geographic barriers and redefine our development footprint. To see that courage validated on a global scale proves our pathway works. We aren’t just expanding the map for talent; we are demonstrating that our structures can spark sustainable growth and inclusion anywhere in the country,” Turinawe said.
Cricket Uganda Honorary Secretary Denis Musali said the awards reflected the wider impact cricket can have when used as a tool for social change.
“These continental awards underscore the profound societal equity that cricket carries when executed with vision. By combining innovative grassroots initiatives with broad digital visibility and international media partnerships, we have shifted the narrative of sports administration. This global recognition affirms that Ugandan cricket is not only growing the game, but also pioneering sport as a catalyst for deep social transformation,” Musali said.
Having emerged as Africa Region winners, both Ugandan projects will now be assessed by an independent global panel comprising former international players, media representatives and ICC stakeholders.
The final global winners of the 2025 ICC Development Awards are expected to be announced by the International Cricket Council in July.
