Business
Tracking The Impact of Technology On Entrepreneurship In Uganda
However the story has not been the same for all the entrepreneurs as many of their startups do not live to celebrate their first anniversaries. This has been attributed to lack of internal innovation, while this may not necessarily mean coming up with something new, it has become a characteristic of many of the entrepreneurs to replicate some of the ideas already existing with only a change in the name and process.
This has ultimately created numerous web-based startups that basically deal with news, IT support services, Internet Cafe’s and web designing. Walking along a busy street of Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, one cannot help but notice the door-to-door duplication of services by ICT entrepreneurs.
Generally, as much as there are challenges in the industry, one of the key achievements has been the initiation of ICT Innovation hubs. An ICT hub is a co-working space where tech-orientated individuals congregate to network, share ideas, work, programme and design. These have played a big role in incubating many of the entrepreneurial ideas in the country.
According to Hilda Moraa, a senior researcher at iHub in Kenya who was one of the speakers at the AfricaCom conference in South Africa last year, the hubs are growing at a tremendous rate. “Currently we have more than 90 hubs in Africa and the number just keeps on growing. It’s from these hubs that entrepreneurs have managed to launch successful startups and with the support of mentors.
As part of their services, Mara Launch Pad, one of the ICT innovation hubs in Uganda offers Launchpad members desk space, wireless internet access, a staffed reception area to receive their guests and a meeting room all at a nominal fee. ICT hubs provide a cost effective way for startups to grow their businesses, maintain a professional image and manage their expenses all while being strategically located within the city (where production costs are relatively cheaper), and embedded in an entrepreneurial environment that fosters learning and collaboration.
One of the most prestigious universities in Uganda, Makerere University has also been fundamental in encouraging ICT innovation in the country by collaborating with a number of tech giants such as Google and Microsoft. Based on the same model as that of innovation hubs, innovation centers have been created within the university to provide support, guidance and mentorship to students interested in ICT entrepreneurship, and the advantage of this is that there are many opportunities for student collaborations and partnerships with the support of already established companies in the industry.
Competition fuels Innovation. Through a number of innovation challenges, a new breed of entrepreneurs has evolved and this has mainly been centered on finding solutions to real world problems both in Uganda and Africa. The government through its ICT regulatory body and the ICT ministry has been instrumental in organizing such competitions among which is the ACIA (ICT for National Development Awards) UCC awards whose aim to identify and reward Innovative ideas in the ICT industry.
