The Royal Academy of Engineering is widening its impact in Uganda by mobilising its alumni to mentor student founders at engineering universities across the country.
For over ten years, the Academy has trained and funded innovators through the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation and the Leaders in Innovation Fellowships. It is now tapping into more than 100 alumni from these programmes to support early-stage, pre-revenue student entrepreneurs. Alumni dedicate one to two hours each week to guide students as they turn ideas into solutions for real community problems.
This support is delivered through the Engineering Innovation Bootcamp Uganda, a six-week programme for final-year engineering students. The bootcamp helps students convert academic projects into market-ready ventures through practical training in prototyping, business models, pitching and commercialisation. Mentorship is provided by alumni of the Academy’s fellowship and prize programmes.
The programme is led by Anatoli Kirigwajjo, chief executive and co-founder of Yunga Technologies and Africa Prize winner in 2023; Kelvin Mulama, chief executive and co-founder of ShopOkoa and Leaders in Innovation Fellowships Innovator of the Year 2025; and Catalina Isaza Falla, chief executive and co-founder of Innmetec, a fellowship alumna and MIT Innovator Under 35 in 2023. The organisers say the model will expand Uganda’s startup pipeline and will be rolled out to more universities next year.
The initiative responds to concerns raised during UNESCO Africa Engineering Week and the 9th Africa Engineering Conference, where participants questioned why many engineering graduates across Africa struggle to find skilled work after graduation.
The bootcamp also tackles issues highlighted in the Engineers for Africa 2025 report by the Royal Academy of Engineering. The report points to Uganda’s low engineer-to-population ratio, rising unemployment among engineers, outdated curricula and weak links between universities and industry.
By closing the gap between education, employment and entrepreneurship, the programme aims to strengthen Uganda’s innovation ecosystem. It also seeks to increase the number of female-led engineering startups and contribute to global development goals on education, gender equality and industrial innovation.
The first cohort shortlisted 150 students from universities including Makerere University, Kampala International University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Gulu University, Kyambogo University, Uganda Martyrs University, Islamic University in Uganda, Ndejje University, Uganda Christian University, Cavendish University Uganda, Busitema University, Kabale University, Victoria University and Uganda Technology and Management University.
From this group, 12 teams progressed to a second selection stage. Five teams each received UGX 1 million, while one team won UGX 500,000 through a public vote. Angel investors were invited to the demo day and committed up to USD 1,000 to promising teams. With continued alumni mentorship, organisers expect teams to raise between USD 1,000 and USD 10,000 within two years.
The first cohort is projected to create 500 jobs, with the wider programme expected to contribute to 300,000 jobs across Africa by 2030.
The Engineering Innovation Bootcamp Uganda marks a strong move to equip engineering students with the skills, networks and confidence needed to build scalable businesses and drive innovation in Uganda.
