ACIA 2017 CLINICS

The clinics coincided with a two-day ICT Exhibition, also under the theme: "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" and held at the same venue (Serena Conference Gardens) from May 25-26. While the Exhibition was similar to the previous ones, the number of exhibitors and visitors showed a marked improvement. The exhibitors were as eye-catching as they were diversified: KCCA, UTAMU University, and telecommunication giants Airtel and Huawei Technologies (U) Ltd – just to mention a few. Previous ACIA winners, such as Barefoot Law and Jaguza Livestock App (now regional and global household names) also exhibited their products.

Of course, there were new partners such as Innovex (U) Ltd and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda(PSFU), who also gave tips to participants in the ICT Clinics. Mention should also be made of Arua S.S. (West Nile, north-western Uganda), Kinyara S.S. (Masindi, mid-western region), Katikamu SDA S.S. (Luwero, central region), and Bushenyi Parental Care (western Uganda) and Tororo High School (eastern region) among others in Uganda's ICT explorers and rising stars category.

The Awards gala provided the icing on the cake of a well-organised event. It would not be farfetched, therefore, to conclude that ACIA 2017 was an innovation with a difference. UCC shall continue providing post-ACIA support, including incubation of the innovators' ideas, and seed funding for certain categories and winners.