Uganda is making a calculated move to break its reliance on foreign technology by establishing high-tech engineering hubs designed to reverse-engineer imported machinery and develop local solutions. This is part of a broader national strategy led by the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Secretariat to link science directly to the economy through import substitution and productivity acceleration.
The initiative reflects Uganda's vision of becoming the most technologically advanced and innovative nation in the region. The STI Secretariat and its partner agencies are committed to building the STI ecosystem by providing exceptional service, fostering collaboration, and driving socio-economic transformation through innovation.
Dr. Okodi Samuel, Team Lead for Infrastructure Innovations at the STI Secretariat, outlined the plan on NBS TV's SpotlightUG in a special discussion on Innovating for Impact. He emphasized that Uganda cannot grow by importing and that the cost of importation will always exceed the value added locally. To truly benefit from its natural and human resources, the country must build capacity to produce its own technology.
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The Secretariat is beginning with the minerals sector, where most of Uganda's exported precious metals are first imported in refined form, despite the country having its own raw ore. The challenge, Dr. Okodi noted, lies in the lack of technology among artisanal miners and the prohibitive cost of industrial-scale infrastructure. By developing local technology and lowering production costs, Uganda can significantly increase the value generated from its mineral resources.
Already, one local innovator has achieved a six-fold increase in production, growing from 32 grams to 4 kilograms per month by shifting from rudimentary to industrial-scale technology. To scale such progress, the government is establishing a common user facility for mineral processing, modeled after successful regional examples that provide training, technical guidance, and commercialization support.
Central to this industrial shift are the Engineering Design and Innovation Center (Revitete) and the Technology Innovation and Business Centers (T-BiC). The Revitete center, now complete, serves as a one-stop hub where engineers can access advanced manufacturing systems to refine their skills and translate ideas into practical solutions.
These hubs focus on addressing real-world challenges rather than creating abstract inventions. One flagship project brings together Ugandan-led technologies to tackle irrigation issues in the dry cattle corridor. The solution integrates bulk water storage systems, precision agriculture technologies from Gulu University, pumping technology from Makerere University, and local energy storage innovations, all engineered into a single product at Revitete.
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Dr. Okodi also highlighted efforts to stem brain drain by equipping universities with advanced scientific tools that allow researchers to practice their expertise locally. The government has invested heavily in high-value installations such as scanning electron microscopes at Busitema and Makerere Universities. These are already enabling nanotechnology innovations like converting steel industry waste into water filtration materials.
A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technology center is next, laying the foundation for domestic chemical engineering and drug development capacity.
The STI Secretariat is also reorienting academic research toward practical industrial output. Universities are being encouraged to prioritize production over publications by commercializing their prototypes. The aim is to see innovations like maize meal processors and other locally developed technologies transition from labs into the marketplace.
This week's SpotlightUG episode provided a rare, in-depth look at Uganda's pragmatic shift from dependency to innovation. By showcasing the work of the STI Secretariat, NBS TV highlighted how multi-billion-shilling infrastructure investments are moving Uganda closer to its Vision 2040 goal, a nation powered by technology, innovation, and local expertise.
