Govt launches bootcamp for young Ugandan innovators

In an effort to turn academic excellence into practical solutions, the government has launched the Innovation Bootcamp & Pitch 2025 — a groundbreaking programme designed to transform the ideas of young innovators into viable businesses and impactful technologies.

The programme, which is being implemented by the Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology (UICT), was launched on Saturday, May 17, at the National Innovation Hub in Nakawa by Dr Irene Nakiyimba, the deputy principal of UICT.

Gastervas Rutwara Mugume, head of UICT’s Research and Innovations Unit, stated that the training is part of the government’s plan to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.

He mentioned that the programme is open to young innovators and ICT students.

Break with tradition

This year’s sessions mark a break with tradition, where innovators previously participated in hackathons by being given themes related to existing challenges and asked to propose solutions.

"This year, students have developed ideas and projects, and we want to know, 'Can these projects be turned into innovations?'"

Some of the innovators taking part in the 2025 Boot Camp and Innovation pitch sessions at the National Innovation Hub in Nakawa on Saturday. (Courtesy Photo)

Shirley Gladys Nakyejwe from the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance urged innovators to consider their end users when developing their products. She noted that even successful innovations like Facebook began as small ideas. "We encourage our innovators to think beyond the local market so that our solutions can reach a global audience," she said.

Business model

Bonita Beatrice Naziri, an innovator with a registered patent in both Uganda and the US and one of the judges at the bootcamp, praised UICT for the initiative. She cautioned that innovators need to understand business models and create sustainable products.

She reflected on her own experience, noting that not understanding this was one of her biggest challenges when pitching a diagnostic tool for sickle cell disease, which was thrown out after four years of hard work.

"If we had recognised our market segment earlier, we could have expanded our solution to address more aspects," she remarked.

Florence Namyalo, a participant, stressed the importance of ensuring that solutions are viable, particularly if they want to attract funding. "The solution should have the potential to impact the entire community affected by the problem," she advised.

Bonita Beatrice Naziri, an innovator with a registered patent in both Uganda and the US and one of the judges at the boot camp, cautioned that innovators need to understand business models and create sustainable products. (Credit: John Masaba)

Theme

This bootcamp is being organised under the theme: “Transforming Student Projects into Minimum Viable Products & Services on the Path to Commercialisation.”

The sessions began on May 15, 2025, and will conclude on Sunday, May 18, 2025. Topics covered include design thinking, prototyping, industry collaborations, and pitching innovations for funding and investment.

During the sessions, innovators will work under the guidance of mentors to enhance their projects. A panel of judges from both academia and industry will then select the best ten projects to join the innovation pipeline for market launch.

For this year’s session, participants were selected from a pool of 120 competitors, with 29 groups advancing to the next stage.