CoCIS principal Prof. Tonny Oyana receives the students in his office after the win

Kampala, Uganda – September 15, 2025
A team of three Year Two Software Engineering students from Makerere University’s College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS) has won an award for developing a web-based platform aimed at boosting youth entrepreneurship in West Nile and surrounding areas.

The students — Aita Joshua Prince, Joshua Wamani, and Jovia Minallah Matata — represented Makerere University at the Entrepreneurship Booster Platform Hackathon, held on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala. The hackathon was organized by the Youth Empowerment and Participation in Policy and Development (YEPPAD).

The trio in the Principal’s office

Mentored by Dr. Joab Ezra Agaba, the students developed an interactive platform designed to empower youth through features such as a TikTok-style skills showcase, interest-based guilds, accessibility tools for persons with disabilities, mentorship connections, job postings, and a credit-based leaderboard system. A key component of their innovation was an AI-powered chatbot capable of helping users make strategic business and career decisions.

Speaking about the importance of the platform, Dr. Joab Ezra Agaba said:

“This platform addresses real issues faced by youth in Uganda, and it’s inspiring to see such technical innovation and social awareness from our students.”

Students with their Mentor Dr. Ezra Joab Agaba after getting the award

Aita Joshua Prince, one of the student developers said the he Makerere team emerged third overall, behind ISBAT and Muni University, and received a bag and an MTN MiFi device loaded with 17GB of data.

“We were given a bag, and MTN MiFi with data of 17GB. The competitors included Muni University, Isbat University, UCU, and Makerere University,” said Aita Joshua Prince.

Students with other competitors pose a group photo with the Minister for National Guidance after the award ceremony

He added that their presentation focused on showcasing the application’s core features, especially the chatbot functionality:

“We showcased this Web application to the judges who asked us about the different features. We also had a chatbot that was the core of the application that could be developed to create an AI that can help provide users with insights to build sustainability businesses and make strategic career choices.”

The award was formally presented to the CoCIS Principal on Monday, September 15, 2025.

Compiled and written by

Jane Anyango