Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa is set to grace Makerere University Youth and Innovation Expo 2023.
Launched under the theme; “Fostering Innovation for Uganda’s Transformational Development”, the expo will be held on 25th and 26th August 2023.
Speaking at the launch, Lorna Magara, the chairperson of Makerere University council said the institution is uniquely positioned to be a hub of many youth innovations through end-of-year course research projects.
She said together with UNDP, Makerere will showcase a number of youth innovations and youth start-ups which have successfully made the transition from research to commercial enterprises. Through this exhibition, we also hope to create viable forward and backward linkages that will facilitate the creation of jobs and foster entrepreneurship by supporting access to an integrated mix of finance products, business management skills and market access to young women and men entrepreneurs and youth-owned MSMEs.
“The two-day event will consist of a very comprehensive, insightful, and engaging program with a conference, a student-inspired fashion show, a showcase of student innovations, exhibitions from all University colleges, exhibitions of Innovations turned enterprises from the Youth4Business program, food courts, blankets and wine activations, MTN Pulse activations, Government of Uganda, one-stop service center to mention but a few,” she said.
Elsie Attafuah the Resident Representative, UNDP Uganda said Universities are the breeding ground for the kind of innovation, forward-thinking policies, and solutions we need to tackle 21st century challenges.
“Fostering innovation especially by the youth is key to accelerating the solutions needed to tackle development challenges head on and shape a future that is sustainable, equitable and inclusive. This is all the more important in an era where development is being defunded especially through official development assistance,” she said.
She said the relevance of a robust innovation ecosystem to a country’s economy cannot be gainsaid. A vibrant and enabling innovation ecosystem facilitates the emergence and growth of businesses and calls for increased interconnectedness and collaboration of relevant stakeholders and innovation ecosystem players in driving innovation interventions to transform Uganda’s economy.
