TIV presents initial findings from A Proprietary Case Study on the state of Science, Technology and Innovation in Uganda

TIV conducted a series of workshops in Uganda on Science, Technology and Innovation. In a large gathering featuring the likes of Mr. Obong of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and Executive Director of SCIFODE, Mr. Arthur Makara, TIV’s CEO provided expert analysis on the state of the innovation ecosystem in Uganda. The workshop focused on multiple initiatives Uganda should consider as part of an overarching continental prerogative to keep pace with technological development. Economic and infrastructural strategies were discussed, including reforming SME policy to foster entrepreneurship, the role of profiting from the country’s biodiversity and tourism, in addition to complex topics such as revisiting Uganda’s Intellectual Property policy. The case study also mentioned novel incorporations of Advanced Tech Alert Systems (ATAS) and their potential for improving national security, in addition to specific interventions Uganda can implement to leverage the UN’s Tech Bank’s financing for Less Developed Countries (LDCs) towards the country’s forays into Industry 4.0.

Furthermore, TIV experts chaired a gathering of Ugandan heads of Industry in an intimate discussion on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its impacts on the Private Sector. TIV experts shared key lessons from their extensive expertise of venture investing and tech entrepreneurship ecosystems globally, interweaving insights drawn from experiences in East Africa. For example, TIV experts juxtaposed Uganda’s progress in light of African counterparts, e.g. Ghana, Tanzania and Kenya, and offered actions which could yield near and long-term gains, such as capitalizing on the low-hanging fruit of AI, in addition to macro issues, such as the digital divide between urban and rural areas. In reciprocation, the entrepreneurs and investors on the other side of the discussion provided their concerns and insights, and personal hopes for the future. From this dynamic engagement, the stakeholders input, coupled with the expertise from TIV, culminated into devising a framework for future interventions and the beginnings of drafting policies towards technological progress.

This endeavor was part of a multi-year project with the African Development Bank in which TIV experts conducted numerous missions, stakeholder consultations and mapping, and extensive surveys towards unlocking the 4th Industrial Revolution in Africa.