Christine Kikome Pitching FloralIntel during the bootcamp in South Africa

In another remarkable achievement, Christine Kikome, a finalist in the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program at CoCIS, won the prestigious Best Pitch Award at the Africa Innovation Fellowship (AIF) bootcamp held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Kikome received a prize of R10,000 for her project, FloralIntel, an AI-powered digital health and education platform that identifies medicinal plants and preserves indigenous knowledge.

Front row 1st with Uganda flag Christine Kikome with other competitors in a group photo

Kikome’s FloralIntel project, developed with fellow students Geofrey Okumu, Emmanuel Wagisha, and Gerald Obote, uses computer vision and machine learning to classify medicinal plants, while also connecting users with certified herbalists. The platform seeks to bridge the gap between traditional herbal medicine and modern healthcare. It also creates a digital database to preserve indigenous knowledge that has been passed down orally. Kikome plans to scale the project into a mobile app and expand it across Africa. Additionally, she aims to collaborate with institutions like the National Drug Authority and the Uganda Registration Services Bureau to ensure the platform’s credibility.

Both Kikome’s recognition at the AIF and the Software Engineering team’s success at the hackathon underscore Makerere University’s commitment to nurturing innovative solutions that address pressing societal challenges in technology, health, and entrepreneurship.