Ugandan engineers gain AI links to Japanese tech projects

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Uganda’s tech start-up, Maarifasasa and its Japanese partner, Akademia, launched pilot testing for a new platform that could open offshore work for local software talent.

The AI-powered tool aims to connect Ugandan engineers directly with companies in Japan by handling language differences and workflow gaps in real time.

Maarifasasa, founded in 2018, focuses on digital skilling and international market connections. Akademia Co. Ltd, based in Tottori, brings expertise in multilingual AI translation and software tools.

The platform called AI-POD integrates translation support, task management and collaborative tools so teams on both sides can work in their own languages while meeting Japanese standards.

AI-POD sits inside the wider Uganda-Japan ICT Industry Promotion Project backed by the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance and JICA.

Robert Bob Okello, founder, Maarifasasa said: “Today marks another important milestone in our mission to position Uganda as a globally competitive digital talent and AI innovation hub.  AI-POD is not simply a software platform. It is an infrastructure for cross-border collaboration trust, and opportunity between Africa and Asia.”

“This pilot is about much more than outsourcing. It is about building a long-term bridge between Uganda and Japan through technology skills and shared innovation. We believe Uganda has the talent creativity, and youthful energy needed to become one of the world’s next major offshore engineering destinations.”

The pilot opens applications now for Ugandan ICT firms to test the beta version with Japanese partners. Organisers are also lining up business-matching events in Japan.

Government consultations on a national AI and Emerging Technologies Strategy wrapped up earlier this year with a draft expected around now focusing on responsible adoption across key sectors.

Startups and innovators in the country have shown they can deliver globally when given the right links but scaling remains the challenge. Officials say initiatives like this one with Japan could provide exactly those links by creating steady high-value contracts that keep talent at home instead of losing it to emigration.

Japanese firms face their own talent shortages and Uganda offers cost-effective skilled engineers once barriers drop, according to officials.