Startup Uganda, an association of Ugandan Innovation and Entrepreneurial Support Organisations (IESOs) has announced the fourth annual Kampala Innovation Week.
The event will be held virtually from 26th to 28th of November 2020 under the theme "Recovery & Resilience: Innovation and Entrepreneurship as a tool for the youth"
The KIW 2020, supported by the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the International Trade Center (ITC), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Enabel, aims to bring together startups, social innovators, investors, corporations, development partners and government ministries, agencies and departments to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on entrepreneurship and innovation in Uganda.
More specifically, a range of innovative solutions related to the COVID-19 pandemic challenges as well as opportunities that have emerged will be discussed.
The three-day event aims to:
- Explore the different ways in which SMEs can recover and thrive in a post COVID-19 economy.
- Highlight the ways in which various eco-system stakeholders (ESOs, governments, academia, investors etc.) can contribute to these recovery efforts.
- Share case studies of entrepreneurs and startups who have demonstrated resilience and innovation in tackling the impact of the pandemic .
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had various effects on businesses. Businesses have had to reframe their models, repurpose their work streams, halt operations, or close to mention but a few. Going forward, the recovery and resilience of small and medium enterprises is critical in ensuring that lives and livelihoods are improved," said Richard Zulu, of Startup Uganda.
On his part, Chris Lukolyo, the Digital Country Lead at UNCDF said: “COVID-19’s disruption to ‘normal’ ways of work and business across many sectors has made many more receptive to using digital solutions to address day to day challenges."
“Supporting initiatives like the Kampala Innovation Week is one of the ways through which UNCDF promotes inclusive innovation to deliver services for the local digital economy.”
Due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and the associated social distancing guidelines, the KIW will this year be primarily virtual and will leverage robust online resources and learning opportunities across the global innovation space to meet the needs of the startup ecosystem in Uganda.
Some foreseen discussion topics include the following: “Shifting from damage control to sustainable renewed methods of conducting business; “Policy and investment dialogue for ‘the new normal’”, and “Staying ahead of the curve in order to thrive and not just survive”.
Over the course of three days, over 2000 attendees will be able to engage and network with speakers and peers, attend sessions of their choice, and virtually browse through the exhibition halls in real time through the event platform, Whova.
To register or exhibit at the event visit www.kiw.ug.