Airtel Uganda on Monday announced the first winners of its UG Needs More of You campaign which celebrates Ugandans who have provided tech-inspired solutions to transform lives in communities. The winners; Bernadette Ojao, Gerald Otim, and Ronald Katamba received a shared grant of UGX30 million to scale and improve their businesses.
Ronald Katamba (Jaguza Tech ) emerged as the second runner-up and he received UGX5 million for his solution Jaguza Tech, a cloud livestock management system that empowers livestock farmers, strengthens food security and mitigates the risk of livestock disease.
Katamba told the press that because of the exposure received from the UG Needs More of You, they have been able to start expanding in Niger, Gambia, and Iowa. “Through this campaign, we have gotten a lot of opportunities,” he said. “We are all working hard to improve the lives of people in our communities —it is our role to make sure we push to help them through digital.”
At the same event, Airtel also announced the second and the last set of techpreneurs who are transforming the lives of people through their solutions.
- Gerald Abila, founder of Barefoot Law, a nonprofit organization that through the innovative use of digital technology, empowers people with free legal information so that they can use it to develop legal solutions for their justice needs.
- Joseph Kayiira, Team Leader Philomera Hope Center Foundation Uganda, has developed a One Impact App to help TB patients get online help without stigma.
- Joseph Ogwal, founder of Agro supply, an online platform that supports farmers with access to agricultural inputs.
The telco has urged the public to continue participating in the campaign by voting for the solutions [mentioned above] that inspire them the most. To vote, simply dial *162#. The process is expected to take two weeks and the telco will have a crown event where all the winners shall get their cash support to scale their ideas.
The pioneers of this campaign are; Dickson Mushabe – founder of the Dolphin Fund, Dr. Davis Musinguzi founder of Rocket Health which is using telemedicine to save lives, and Catherine Nakatudde founder of Ella Clear Foods.
