Refactory’s Executive Director, Mr. Michael Niyitegeka while wrapping the summit said was proud of the turnout —thanking the partners and attendees for showing up in big numbers. “This UG Dev Summit couldn’t have been this without you here. And the proof that we were doing something that has value for us as individuals is in the number of people that are still seated here and listening through all the sessions,” he said.

Niyitegeka ended his remarks by revealing that in October this year, they will announce the dates for the 2025 summit. Rectifying our tweet on the summit being held in Gulu, he said “We will have regional Uganda Developer Summits and the climax in Kampala.”

The second day of the summit had engagements including keynote speeches from Rashmi Pillai, Group Head of Public Policy, Wave Mobile Money, and Michael Mukasa, CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies Uganda.

While speaking on cloud-powered Africa, its benefits, and the opportunities for stakeholders, Mukasa said cloud computing offers opportunities for Ugandan organizations to modernize their IT infrastructures and adopt new technologies. He also emphasized that cloud computing enables businesses to reduce IT expenditure and enhance operational efficiencies leading to improved productivity and revenue growth.

Mukasa also touched on data protection and the digital transformation roadmap. “Liquid Technologies has been at the forefront of expanding access to infrastructure and digital services, which are Uganda’s digital economy, creating new growth opportunities,” he said. “Liquid Intelligent Technologies drives digital transformation in Uganda with a Pan-African presence and expertise.” He noted that the country’s digital transformation roadmap highlights the need for cloud-based solutions and collaboration, among other things.

At the end of his keynote, Mukasa launched the first Azure Stack in Uganda and its impact on revolutionizing cloud connectivity and how businesses will be positively impacted.

Prior to the keynote speeches, the second day of the summit kicked off with Masterclasses on (1) Design Engineering, (2) API Development and Deployment, and (3) Leveraging Shared Infrastructure in the Digital Economy. The biggest takeaway from the Masterclasses was leveraging digital infrastructure to serve last-mile communities through Community Pass. The platform is not just a digital tool but a catalyst for change, building a network of trust within the financial ecosystem and bridging the gap between underserved communities by bringing essential services closer to them.

Community Pass goes beyond mere connectivity to fostering sustainable economic opportunities and integrating digitally excluded individuals into the formal digital economy. Through this platform, farmers will be provided with a digital footprint, enabling them to track their activities and build a unique digital identity. This identity helps them access critical services like finance, promoting inclusion, and empowering their livelihoods.

The keynote speeches were followed by panel sessions Cloud Technology, and Tech Governance & Policy. Takeaways from a panel discussion, Cloud Technology; Powering Africa’s Cloud-driven Future, James Byaruhanga, Managing Director of Roke Cloud noted that cloud service providers in Africa are evolving to offer more than just internet connectivity driven by government adoption and private sector integration.

Joanita Asio Banda while discussing cloud computing benefits including scalability, cost, saving, innovation, and security —noted that the cloud enables foster innovation using resource-intensive AI and ML technologies, as for security, she noted that stakeholders have raised security concerns which is valid, however, she remarked that security concerns are addressed through embedded security features such as encryptions, redundancy, to mention a few.

Silver Kayondo, Legal, Regulatory & Policy strategist touched on the legal aspects of cloud computing. “I must say that you will not find a particular law governing cloud, AI, or other technologies because when we are enacting technology laws, we follow the principle of technology neutrality. You cannot legislate for each technology because new technologies are coming up in our country and we cannot tell how the adoption and scale will be,” he said.

He also emphasized the importance of compliance documents for organizations, including data protection and child protection policies. “You must have a set of policies that protect your company. We are talking about data protection and privacy policy, password policy, cloud policy, and a child protection & safeguarding policy, among others” said Kayondo.

Steven Mugabe, MD at PDPO Uganda highlighted data sovereignty concerns in cloud computing emphasizing the need for policies and compliance with Uganda’s Data Protection and Privacy Act.

Takeaways from a panel discussion, Tech governance & Policy regulation; Lessons from the Past Decade & What Next —Andrew Bukenya, Senior Manager at MTN Uganda emphasized the importance of regulations in this digital age —he believes regulations can transform traditional environments into the digital space. On regulation for emerging technologies to protect consumers, Jackie Ochola, GM and Head of Mobile at Wave Mobile Money Limited urged regulators to promote competition and protect consumers.

Irene Kaggwa Ssewakambo, the Director of Research at UCC highlighted Uganda’s entrepreneurial spirit and potential for ICT innovation. “Many of our people develop apps and they’re thriving outside of Uganda. So the opportunity for us to harness our ICT apps is great and it no longer requires you to work in another country,” said Ssewakambo.

The summit closed with Tekjuice launching in Uganda. They graciously gave the Refactory Academy a donation of UGX4.5 million to fund 3 promising tech talents to do a course of choice in the academy. “At Tekjuice we believe in creating opportunities and making career dreams come true,” said Tekjuice CEO, Jason Hathaway.

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Organized by Refactory Academy, a software skilling academy, and its partners, the UG Dev Summit kicked off today at the National ICT Innovation Hub in Nakawa, gathering over 500 attendees including speakers from all over the world, exhibitors, developers, the media, and tech enthusiasts. The summit will end tomorrow, July 18th —and simultaneously the dates for the second annual edition (UG Dev Summit 2025) are expected to be announced.

In her keynote speech, Dr. Zawedde urged Michael Niyitegeka, Executive Director of Refactory Limited, and his team to make the summit a regional event. “Today is the beginning, we are going to grow bigger, stronger, and more impactful,” she said. “Maybe Michael should think of having the next summit in another region of Uganda because we don’t want to leave anybody behind and we don’t want to leave any region behind.”

Dr. Zawedde also noted that the Ministry is honored to be part of the Uganda Developer Summit because it speaks directly to the National Digital Transformation Roadmap, an initiative driving the nation’s digital technological progress and economic growth.

The Permanent Sectary also spoke about the ICT Ministry embarking on an innovation frenzy to establish regional ICT innovation hubs in Soroti, Kabale, and Arua —and more to be opened, providing nurturing grounds for developers, innovators, and tech enthusiasts. The goal is to build IT capacity, position Uganda as a champion for entrepreneurship, strengthen digital technological progress and accelerate national economic growth.

Also read:

• • Ministry of ICT opens a new ICT Innovation Hub at Soroti University
  • Ministry of ICT launch The West Nile ICT Innovation Hub at Muni University

Dr. Zawedde also briefly touched on the Ministry’s partnership with the Refactory Academy. In 2022, the Ministry signed an MoU with Refactory Academy, and during the signing, the Permanent Secretary told the academy she wanted to see what the output of the MoU. “Today, the Uganda Developers Summit is one of the outputs, not the first output —we have celebrated several graduates and we are happy to learn that the trained individuals are employed,” she said.

The Permanent Secretary noted that when they sign an MoU, their area of collaboration is largely supporting the development of the country’s digital ecosystem.

Dr. Zawedde spoke about other topics including, cybersecurity & awareness, emerging technologies, and employment opportunities, among others.

Takeaways
In an insightful panel session that included panelists, Dr. Shamim Nabuuma; co-founder of Chil FemTech, Timothy Musoke; co-founder and CEO of Laboremus Uganda, Dr. Lawrence Muganga; Vice Chancellor of Victoria University, and Sylvia Nakanwagi; Centenary Technology Services —moderated by Arthur Mukembo discussed Uganda’s developer landscape and the strategic opportunities and steps towards leveraging human capital development to lead Africa in the digital economy.

The United Nations projects that by 2050 Africa’s population will reach nearly 2.5 billion, making up 25% of the world’s population. This demographic advantage can serve as a foundation for developing a robust, digitally-driven human capital base for the digital economy.

The session focused on digital innovation and technology, exploring various strategies for Uganda’s software developers to position themselves for global opportunities. These strategies include leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), establishing a strong digital presence, acquiring key digital competencies, and continuously upgrading skills to remain competitive in the global market.

Dr. Muganga emphasized the urgent need for the government to invest in the educational systems by revamping the curriculum to fully integrate digital learning, coding, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects from an early age. “At Victoria University, we continue to use digital learning to prepare our students for the future and to align with the needs of the industry,” he said —adding “These initiatives have ensured that our graduates are not only knowledgeable but also job-ready.”

Musoke in his remarks emphasized that Uganda continues to lag behind in tech talent and must invest in the sector to catch up with the rest of the world. He urged developers to focus on solving Uganda’s immediate issues such as unemployment, social instability, and disease while staying informed about global tech trends to ensure their solutions are relevant and impactful.

Dr. Nabuuma touched on emerging tech, AI which she said is here to stay as it enhances efficiency without replacing jobs. She highlighted to developers and entrepreneurs that revolutionary technology presents significant opportunities, but it’s essential to reinvent oneself by acquiring skills that complement rather than compete with AI.

Nakanwagi on her part highlighted the importance of assessing ecosystem readiness, including the utilization of tech products and available resources to support it. She also stressed the significance of collaboration across the ecosystem to enhance technological adoption and innovation.

In another insightful panel session that included panelists; Isaac Odongo; Deputy CEO of Tek Juice, Davis Agaba; CEO & Co-founder of Emata Uganda, Mark Tusiime; Programs Lead at Zimba Women, and Kenneth Agina; Andanian Labs —moderated by Maureen Agena discussed Africa’s readiness for emerging technologies as well as talent and ecosystem readiness.

On talent readiness, Tusiime applauded women noting that they are the highest knowledge seekers and willing to learn and learn from the various trainings. He said they’ve been able to train over 1,000 women, out of these 100 have received funding and 265 of them have expressed interest in furthering their skills in tech. He also said with the learning comes hinders, one being social-cultural norms. “Gender dynamics are a major obstacle. Men don’t want to learn together with the women and they chase them out, and some are resisting their wives from, joining training programs for fear of being outmatched as a leader of the home,” said Tusiime.

Agaba acknowledged that Uganda has the resources including human resources and the Internet to aid the ability to learn. “The Internet is a powerful resource tool today for learning,” he said. Agaba also noted that it is great to embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). “At Emata we understood early that we couldn’t use software outside Uganda to establish farmers’ credit scores. So we put together an AI team.”

Agina from his remarks said, “We are at a point where we are building tech tools that are relevant to us.”

Day 1 concluded with a fireside chat with Solomon Opio, Preze Masinde, Phillip Gasatura of Katapuli VC, and Arnold Kwizera of Norsemen East Africa discussed Investment in the Tech & Developer Ecosystem.

Day 2 will have keynote addresses on; (1) A Cloud-powered Africa; The Opportunity, and (2) A Progressive Policy Environment for Uganda’s Digitization Agenda. Panel discussions will include (1) Cloud Technology; Powering Africa’s Cloud-driven Future, and (2) Tech governance & Policy regulation; Lessons from the Past Decade & What Next.

The summit will end with an Emerging Tech Showcase/Demos, UG Diaspora Fireside Chat, and a Networking & Cocktail session which will have the launch of Tekjuice in Uganda.

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