Ugandan innovators eye opportunities at Africa blockchain festival
Kenya, will bring together blockchain and artificial intelligence innovators, investors, financial institutions, regulators, developers, entrepreneurs and technology companies from across Africa and beyond.
(Courtesy)
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For Uganda’s technology entrepreneurs, the next big opportunity may not be at home.
It could be across the border in Nairobi, where more than 3,000 players in Africa’s digital economy are expected to converge for the Africa Blockchain Festival (ABF) 2026.
The three-day event, scheduled for October 15–17 at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi,
Kenya, will bring together blockchain and artificial intelligence innovators, investors, financial institutions, regulators, developers, entrepreneurs and technology companies from across Africa and beyond.
Held under the theme “Capital, Code and Continuity: Building Africa’s Permanent Digital Economy,” the festival is expected to focus on how Africa can turn emerging technologies into sustainable businesses rather than short-lived experiments.
For Ugandan startups, that presents an opportunity to move beyond showcasing ideas and start looking for the capital, partnerships and markets needed to scale.
The programme will feature exhibitions, discussions, networking sessions and investment engagements designed to connect technology entrepreneurs with investors, financial institutions and potential business partners.
The event is organised by Africa Blockfest Ltd and follows the previous festival in Rwanda, where two Ugandan startups emerged among the top three finalists.
Their performance demonstrated that Ugandan innovators can compete on regional technology platforms and could encourage more local startups to use the Nairobi gathering to attract investment and partnerships.
A growing digital economy
Uganda enters the festival with a digital economy that has expanded rapidly, driven by widespread mobile-money use, a growing fintech sector, expanding digital infrastructure and a young population increasingly involved in technology and digital entrepreneurship.
MTN Uganda chief executive officer Sylvia Mulinge highlighted the country's expanding digital economy while speaking to clients during the introduction of the company's managing director, Phase Lubega, on August 5.
The expansion of digital financial services has created an ecosystem in which innovators can develop and test solutions in payments, commerce, financial inclusion and other services.
But technology entrepreneurs face a familiar hurdle: developing a promising product is one thing; finding customers, investment and markets to take it to scale is another.
By putting startups in the same room with investors, developers, financial institutions and policymakers, such gatherings can help innovators identify opportunities that may be difficult to access from the domestic market alone.
Government looks to emerging technologies
The private sector is not alone in paying attention to the opportunities presented by emerging technologies.
Government is also positioning Uganda to participate in the next phase of the digital economy.
ICT and National Guidance Minister Justine Kasule Lumumba told Parliament's Committee on ICT that Government is developing a National AI and Emerging Technologies Strategy covering artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics and other emerging technologies.
“The strategy is expected to explore how these technologies can be applied in sectors including agriculture, financial services, healthcare, education, manufacturing, tourism and public services,” Lumumba said.
The move comes as governments across Africa grapple with how to use emerging technologies to improve productivity, create jobs and stimulate new businesses while managing the risks they present.
For Uganda, the challenge will be translating policy ambition into an environment in which innovators can experiment, attract investment and build companies capable of competing beyond the local market.
The virtual asset question
Blockchain development also brings Uganda into the wider debate over virtual assets and their regulation.
The Financial Intelligence Authority has taken steps to bring Virtual Asset Service Providers within the country's anti-money laundering framework, while discussions continue around the broader regulatory environment governing digital assets.
The objective is to encourage responsible innovation while addressing concerns around financial crime, consumer protection and the potential misuse of digital assets.
For entrepreneurs developing blockchain-based financial and digital solutions, greater regulatory clarity could provide much-needed certainty.
It could also help distinguish legitimate technology businesses from speculative ventures, giving investors greater confidence in the sector.
The Nairobi festival comes at a time when Uganda's technology ecosystem is developing solutions in areas ranging from fintech and artificial intelligence to agriculture and digital services.
Yet many startups still struggle to access growth capital, secure customers and expand into regional markets.
That makes the emphasis of this year's festival - capital, code and continuity - particularly relevant.
Africa's technology conversation is gradually moving beyond proving that artificial intelligence, blockchain and other emerging technologies can work.
The bigger question is whether African entrepreneurs can build businesses around them that survive, grow and compete internationally.
Blockchain, for instance, is being explored for applications in payments, financial inclusion, supply-chain management, digital identity and asset management. Artificial intelligence is opening possibilities in agriculture, healthcare, education, tourism and business services.
But technology alone does not guarantee commercial success.
Ugandan innovators attending the Nairobi event will need to demonstrate not only that their products work, but also that they solve real problems, have paying customers and can grow into sustainable businesses.
That is where the real value of the festival could lie.
Beyond the exhibitions and conference sessions, the event offers Ugandan entrepreneurs a chance to meet investors, find technology partners, study new business models and test their ideas against competitors from across the continent.
It could also give policymakers and businesses an opportunity to observe how other African countries are balancing innovation with regulation, consumer protection and financial stability.
For Uganda's technology entrepreneurs, therefore, the biggest prize may not be the three days in Nairobi.
It is what happens afterwards - whether new contacts become partnerships, whether conversations with investors become funding, and whether promising Ugandan innovations find customers beyond the country's borders.
The Africa Blockchain Festival could offer the platform.
The challenge for Uganda's innovators will be to turn the opportunity into businesses capable of competing across Africa.