The inaugural edition of the Youth and Innovation Expo was a roaring success as over 300 innovators showcased their creations and thousands of guests walked through the doors of the Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility Auditorium, as well as traversed the surrounding spaces on 6th and 7th October 2023. Organised by Makerere University in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Expo was held under the theme “Fostering Innovation for Uganda’s Transformational Development”. The event was sponsored by MTN Uganda, while StartHub Africa – a hybrid-social venture curated all the knowledge sessions over the two-day period.
Officially opened by Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament on 6th October 2023, the Expo was graced by the Chairperson of Council Mrs. Lorna Magara, Resident Representative UNDP Uganda H.E. Elsie Attafuah, Ambassador of Italy to Uganda H.E. Massimiliano Mazzanti, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, and the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) Prof. Frank Norbert Mwine among other dignitaries. The Expo was officially closed on 7th October 2023 by the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs Hon. Nyirabashitsi Sarah Mateke.
Delivering an abridged version of his keynote address, Rt. Hon. Tayebwa could not help but appreciate the strides that Makerere University is making as it transitions from producing job seekers to producing job creators, through initiatives aimed at nurturing youth innovations and youth enterprise. “I want to thank the Country Director UNDP, H.E. Elsie Attafuah and the entire diplomatic corp for this enormous gesture and timing to help Makerere transition.”
Recalling with nostalgia his own academic journey through Makerere, Rt. Hon. Tayebwa could not help but appreciate his Alma mater for not only offering the bedrock upon which he built his career but also according him the opportunity to hone his entrepreneurship skills. “The assurance I can give you is that I might have been a son of a peasant, but I’m no longer a peasant and my children will never be peasants.”