Uganda-Japan AI-POD Internship Project: Uganda students unveil AI tools
Gen Suzuki, director of Akademia and the man behind the AI-POD concept, said the project grew out of a conviction that Uganda has the raw material Japan is desperately looking for. Akademia seeks to plug Japan’s growing tech talent shortage while lifting local engineers into global markets.
Gen Suzuki, director of Akademia and some of the students participating in the AI-POD project. (Photo by Ali Twaha)
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At an interim report showcase held at Makerere University, nearly 40 students from three universities presented six AI-powered products built over three months under the Uganda-Japan AI-POD Internship Project.
The universities include: Makerere, the International University of East Africa (IUEA) and the Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology (UICT).
The event drew officials from the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, the National ICT Innovation Hub, Japanese firm Akademia, and Maarifasasa, a group that connects African talent to global markets.
Gen Suzuki, director of Akademia and the man behind the AI-POD concept, said the project grew out of a conviction that Uganda has the raw material Japan is desperately looking for. Akademia seeks to plug Japan’s growing tech talent shortage while lifting local engineers into global markets.
Gen Suzuki, director of Akademia makes his presentation during the event. (Photo by Ali Twaha)
“Uganda has talent. Intelligent, creative, eager to learn. The country’s youth are resourceful, and once they are given an opportunity, they are in position to support the growth of the economy. AI-POD can support Uganda,” he said.
What started as a plan for 12 interns ballooned into a cohort of 38 students working across six groups, building tools ranging from an AI translation checker that catches errors in cross-border communication, to an AI recruiter that conducts job interviews around the clock, to 3D AI avatars designed to give digital services a human face.
Officials said the AI-POD tools are moving toward real use. Akademia says the translation checker and several other products are ready for trial testing, while the daily activity reporting system built for tracking work on outsourced projects is already cleared for business use.
Robert Bob Okello, founder of Maarifasasa, said Uganda’s talent must prepare and be ready when the opportunities present themselves.
“We have the opportunity right now. The question is whether we will be ready when this door opens. Being in the right place at the right time is not enough," he said.
“All of us are very brilliant. I do firmly believe that talent and brilliance is evenly distributed. But many times, opportunity is not. A client will forgive a hard problem that takes time to solve. But they will not easily forgive silence or a missed deadline with no communication, with no warning,” he said.
Okello urged the students to take ownership of problems rather than simply following instructions, and to keep learning as the technology shifts under their feet.
The Ministry of ICT and National Guidance said in a statement that the government has put the infrastructure in place to support innovations and youth employment.
“Uganda’s greatest digital resource is its people. Technology alone does not transform nations. It is people with the skills, curiosity and courage to innovate who drive transformation,” the ministry said.
“They (the projects designed by the students) represent ideas that can evolve into businesses, create employment, solve real challenges and position Uganda as a contributor to the global AI economy. The goal is for Uganda to be seen not only as a consumer of digital technologies, but as a producer of innovative solutions for Africa and the world,” the statement read.