Ugandan secondary school wins regional agriculture innovation award
L-R: Foster Akugiri Awintinti, Innovation Village Lead Africa, Nambi Tracy, Bakunga Arafat, Kukundakwe Martina, Students from Rise and Shine Secondary School, and Sseruwagi Abdallah, Lead, EdTech La the Innovation Village, at the Sahara STEAMers Regional Grand Demo Competition
What you need to know:
- The participants of the Sahara STEAMers Regional Competition were drawn from the top three teams that emerge from their respective National Demo Competitions in 2023. Before that they went on to represent their respective countries in the Grand Demo Day Competition.
A team of students from Rise and Shine Secondary School based in Ntinda, Kampala emerged the winner of innovation award after shrugging off competition from 12 other groups drawn across multiple countries in Africa.
A panel of judges were in awe of Ugandan ingenuity, leaving them with no option but to declare Rise and Shine Secondary School as the most triumphant in its pursuit and demonstration of the most workable innovation.
“In a groundbreaking display of innovation, Team Imperial Tech from Rise and Shine Secondary School in Ntinda, Uganda, has emerged as this year’s regional champions of the Sahara STEAMers Grand Demo Competition 2.0,” reads the statement shared with this publication.
The contest, now in its second year, is organized by the Sahara Group Foundation and Asharami Uganda in collaboration with STEMCafe.
This year’s program, aimed at fostering innovation, creativity, and excellence in STEAM education among secondary school students in Africa, directly impacted over 200 students across the continent.
The program, designed to provide participants access to deep-dive classroom learning, equipped the participating students with the practical knowledge and skills required to generate innovative solutions for real-world problems with to help create a pipeline of young, confident social innovators across Africa.
The winners
The participants of the Sahara STEAMers Regional Competition were drawn from the top three teams that emerge from their respective National Demo Competitions in 2023. Before that they went on to represent their respective countries in the Grand Demo Day Competition.
All twelve teams presented ingenious prototype designs of their solutions spanning various sectors, including home automation, agriculture, security, energy, health, and transportation before a panel of judges.
The statement in part reads: “The Grand Demo Competition showdown was indeed a keenly contested competition among teams hailing from Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania.”
The statement further revealed: “Emerging as this year’s regional champions was Team Imperial Tech, comprising the following students from Rise and Shine secondary school: Anyango Winnie, Bakunga Arafat, Male Raymond, Nalweyiso Kelva, and Nambi Tracy.
“They developed a Soil Moisture Detector, a farm-friendly solution aimed at preventing over-cultivation and promoting soil quality and increased productivity.”
Securing the second and third positions were Team Smart Blind Walking Stick from St Georges Girls Secondary School, Nairobi, Kenya, and Team Young Genius from Oshodi High School, Lagos, Nigeria, respectively.
Team Smart Blind Walking Stick developed an advanced solution to aid visually impaired individuals, utilizing Arduino, distance sensors, and a buzzer.
While Team Young Genius engineered an innovative Domestic Drainage System to address the issue of drainage blockage in the society by automating the drainage cleaning process, thus keeping our environment pristine, according to the statement.
Reflecting on the nine-month program, Ejiro Gray, Director of the Sahara Group Foundation, noted that it couldn’t have gone any better as the success of the Grand Demo Competition rotates around inspiring creativity and critical thinking skills among students, and fostering a new wave of problem solvers for Africa – something that has been evident throughout the time of the program.
She said the winning teams and all the participants should now apply the skills acquired from the program to the benefit of their communities and society at large.
Also speaking at the event held in Tanzania, Moses Abimpeire, Business Development Manager at Asharami Uganda Limited, stated that “Programs like the Sahara STEAMers initiative that help to foster innovation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among the youth are instrumental in shaping a brighter future for the country.” He affirmed Asharami's unwavering dedication to supporting such initiatives, recognizing them as catalysts for positive change and sustainable progress that align with the company's vision for a thriving and innovative Uganda.
