The National I-UPSHIFT Youth Social Innovation Summit 2025 concluded in Kampala on Friday with more than Shs1.7 billion awarded to outstanding youth-led enterprises drawn from refugee and host communities across the country.
The summit marked the final event of Integrated Upshift (i-UPSHIFT), a social innovation and entrepreneurship programme jointly implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UN Children's and Scientific Fund - Unicef Uganda.
Through bootcamps, mentorship and seed funding, the programme equipped marginalised adolescents and youth with practical skills to design and implement solutions addressing local social challenges.
“Social innovation is a commitment to find new ways to solve problems,” said Evans Lwanga, the ILO Chief Technical Officer. “It gives us tools to tackle the problems to ensure lives are changing.”
The programme trained young people in seven core 21st-century skills, including problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, communication, leadership, teamwork, and self-esteem.
Organisers said these tools have enabled participants to emerge as community changemakers capable of driving long-term social transformation.
The i-UPSHIFT project was implemented in partnership with Unleashed, New Life Horizon NELHIN, RICE West Nile, Windle International Uganda and Wezesha Impact.
The coalition worked across several refugee settlements and host districts, aiming to empower 1,200 young people to become entrepreneurs and innovators.
“Today was a celebration of resilience for young people,” said Solomon Kayiwa Mugambe, the Wezesha Impact executive director.
“We continue to believe that when you empower young people with the right skills, they not only participate in creating the future but are actually creating the future. Over the months, we experienced creativity in villages and communities. This summit connected and inspired each other. We believed that no young person should be left behind.”
Guest speaker Timothy Ssejjoba from the Ministry of Education and Sports said many youths still struggle with limited access to investment capital, but noted that their innovations demonstrated clear purpose and potential.
“You demonstrated that innovation starts with the challenge you care about,” he said. “This summit aligned with the government’s effort to improve and create opportunities.
The government continued to support skills through initiatives like PDM.”
Seventy-two youth groups were recognised at the event and awarded Innovation Development Grants of Shs18.4 million, Shs11.05 million and Shs7.37 million depending on category and performance.
The summit attracted government officials, development partners, private-sector leaders and actors from Uganda’s innovation ecosystem.
It provided a national platform for young innovators to showcase their products, connect with industry leaders and explore collaboration and investment opportunities.
The event also featured exhibitions of the most promising innovations, along with interactive sessions aimed at strengthening support networks for the next generation of Ugandan changemakers.