Three students from Mountains of the Moon University (MMU) have brought international acclaim to Uganda after winning Second Prize at the Huawei ICT Competition 2025–2026 Global Final held in Shenzhen, China.
The AgriChain team, comprising Bachelor of Computer Science students Aaron Masendi, Elvis Oko and Wasswa Atibu from the university's Faculty of Science, Technology and Innovation (FOSTI), impressed judges with an innovation-focused solution that stood out among entries from some of the world's most competitive universities.
The global event, held from June 2-9, marked the culmination of a journey that began with national qualifying rounds in Uganda in December 2025 before progressing through continental competition stages.
MMU emerged as the second-best team globally in the Innovation Track and the highest-ranked team from Africa. Teams from Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa followed behind in the continental rankings.
The Huawei ICT Competition is regarded as one of the world's most prestigious technology contests, attracting hundreds of thousands of students from more than 80 countries annually.
The team's success was achieved under the mentorship of MMU instructor Alinaitwe Mukonyenzi, who guided the students through the national, regional and global stages of the competition.
"Aaron, Elvis, and Wasswa put in extraordinary effort. They did not just prepare, they believed, they pushed boundaries, and they showed the world what MMU students are made of," Mukonyenzi said.
"This is what happens when talent meets purpose."
The students first distinguished themselves during the preliminary rounds in Uganda before advancing to the National Finals in January 2026. Their performance there secured a place at the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Finals held at Huawei's offices in Kampala on March 5.
At the regional stage, the MMU team competed against institutions from 21 African countries and successfully earned qualification to represent the continent at the global finals in China.
Mukonyenzi said the achievement demonstrates the growing capacity of Ugandan students to compete on the international technology stage.
"The students showed resilience at every level of the competition. From the national rounds to Shenzhen, they remained focused on excellence and proved that innovation from Uganda can compete with the best in the world," he said.
For the students, the experience was both rewarding and transformative.
"Competing at the global final was beyond anything I had imagined. It showed me that we, as Ugandan students, have the talent and the ideas to compete with anyone in the world. This award belongs to MMU and to everyone who believed in us," Masendi said.
His teammate Elvis Oko described the recognition as a validation of the work being done at the university.
"Standing in Shenzhen among the best student innovators from around the world and winning Second Prize is a feeling that is very hard to put into words. It tells us that what we are doing at MMU matters globally," Oko said.
Wasswa Atibu credited the university and the team's mentors for helping them reach the world stage.
"We did not get here alone. The support of our university, our mentor Alinaitwe Mukonyenzi, and our Faculty made this possible. We hope this inspires every student at MMU to dream bigger and reach further," he said.
Mukonyenzi said the victory reflects the quality of training and innovation culture being nurtured at the university.
"This achievement is not only about winning a prize. It is about demonstrating that our students can develop solutions with real-world impact and compete successfully on the global stage," he said.
According to the university's head of public relations and marketing, Mr Brens Willie Wambedde, the AgriChain team's success adds to a growing list of achievements for MMU's Faculty of Science, Technology and Innovation, which has increasingly positioned itself as a hub for technology-driven solutions addressing both local and global challenges.
As celebrations continue at the university, the achievement is being viewed as a significant milestone not only for MMU but also for Uganda's higher education and technology sectors.
The Huawei ICT Competition is an annual global initiative that challenges university students to apply information and communication technology skills to solve real-world problems through national, regional and international contests.
