Swarm Summit 2023: UCC ED roots for challenge-driven innovation

UCC acting Executive Director Eng. Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo urged innovators to tailor their innovations to the needs of the market.

Eng. Sewankambo, who delivered the keynote address at the Swarm Summit 2023, which was held Friday at Hive Colab in Kampala, told innovators to “appreciate the changes” that are happening in the world.

The UCC Director noted that “ICT has penetrated everything”, so it’s important for techpreneurs to “appreciate people's challenges” as they develop projects.

“What are you creating a solution for?" she said.

Eng. Sewankambo was tasked to break down how the technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem has changed over the past 10 years.

She used the evolution of mobile technology in Uganda as “a test case.” She highlighted the transition from the first generation (1G) of wireless cellular technology to 2G, then 3G, 4G and now 5G.

In February, Airtel Uganda announced it had rolled out 5G towers in Uganda, covering city locations, including Industrial Area, Garden City Area, Upper Kololo, Clement Hill, Hannington Road, Lower airstrip Kololo and Wampewo Avenue.

At the end of 2022, according to Eng. Sewankambo, 3G coverage in Uganda was at 87% and 4G was at 44%. Mobile subscriptions currently stand at 32 million and 23 million smartphones have been registered.

Eng. Irene Kagwa Sewankambo called on innovators to “develop local solutions that can help us leapfrog and achieve SDGs.”

“Tech has given us an opportunity to leapfrog,” she said.

Youth Startup Academy

The sponsors of the Swarm Summit 2023 started an initiative called the Youth Startup Academy Uganda (YSAU) which is already putting in motion what the UCC ED suggested.

YSAU is supported by the International Trade Centre, Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME), National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U) and Hive Colab.

Speaking at the event, Abraham Kang, the senior deputy director at the Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups, noted that “Uganda is an important partner for Korea and has potential for innovation because of its young population.”

He said the academy idea was benchmarked on a similar one in South Korea which has already produced unicorns.

YSAU held its first graduation of 15 entrepreneurs that enrolled in the first cohort. They were initially 110 entrepreneurs who went through three stages. In the first stage, they were 110, then 25 in the second phase, and 15 in the third.

Rita Ngenzi, the national youth coordinator of the academy, said that the benefits of enrolling include gaining access to fully-equipped maker-space facilities, mobile app testing and computer labs, coworking space, coaches and mentors, and exposure to regional and global networking events. Entrepreneurs are also connected to investors.

The startups that graduated are Bringo Fresh, Eco Crafts Africa, Essymart Africa, KaCyber, Karaa, Kontiki Bamboo works, Impact Nutrition, M-Scan, Ntakye Holdings, Organic Route, Sencha Farms & Nutrition Foods, ShareCARD and Yunga Technologies.

They are offering solutions in different sectors including agriculture, security, transport, fashion, finance, manufacturing, nutrition and medical technology.

Hive Colab Co-founder Barbara Birungi Mutabazi said YSAU startups will be supported until they become unicorns.

Hatwib Mugasa, the executive director of NITA-U, told the innovators that Uganda has “more opportunities for solving problems because we're still young in technology.”

“You're in the right direction,” he said, adding that he was “impressed” by what he saw.

Colin Babirakumu, the director of eGovernment Services at NITA-U, challenged entrepreneurs and innovators to sharpen their skills in idea articulation.

Babirukamu also noted that NITA-U is set to construct an ICT park in Entebbe that will house an innovation hub, dormitories, a data center, an exhibition center, and a BPO facility.

Future of work

Swarm Summit, which was being held for the fifth time, sought to discuss the future of work, and a set of panelists hashed out 'Human-AI partnership: how AI is augmenting, not replacing human labour'.

Daniel Mutembesa, an AI research lead at Makerere University, was straightforward and told attendees that "AI will replace us" in the job market.

Arnold Akampulira, a marketing analyst at Brighter Monday, said AI may not necessarily take away jobs but it will give people the power to do more tasks than they would normally do.

Robert Bob Okello, the co-founder of Maarifasasa, said AI will replace the need for human involvement in accomplishing some tasks.

Solomon King Benge, the founder of Fundi Bots, says AI could sink humanity into mediocrity because tools like ChatGPT have already displayed biases, so a person not adept at using it may not get the best out of such tools. But he was also quick to note that "it's a force multiplier if you're good at using it".

Away from the panel discussions and the graduation, the Summit also had an exhibition area and some of the startups that showcased products are Backpack Comfort, which is making waterproof bags; ABS Tailoring Firm, which is making hats, wallets and bags; Divine Leather Accessories (shoes), Sencha Farms & Nutri-foods and Forest Natural Honey.

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