In a bid to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematic (STEM) Education, Uganda will from 20th to 22nd August 2026 host the inaugural East Africa Open Robotics Championships in Kampala bringing together young innovators from across the East African region and beyond.
The landmark regional robotics competition is designed to unlock the engineering, innovation and problem-solving potential of young people from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and other East African countries.
The competition which aims to nurture future innovators, engineers, and technology leaders for the region’s economic transformation, will also draw participants from countries outside East Africa, including; South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Zambia, and Cambodia among others.
Mellon Kenyangi, an educator and champion of STEM education, described the championship as one of the most transformative STEM and innovation activities in the region.
“We are building innovators and problem solvers, not job seekers. Young people make the largest segment of our population. We must nurture their ability to think, create, and produce solutions to real world problems,” Kenyangi said.
The competition targets children and young people aged between six and 21.
During the competitions, young innovators will design and program autonomous robots to complete a series of missions, demonstrating creativity, teamwork and applied engineering skills.
“This demonstrates that Africa’s future will not be imported. It will be built here by her own children,” Kenyangi added.
Organised by NextGen Restyling Uganda in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), and WorldSkills Uganda, the competition is aligned with Uganda’s competency-based curriculum as well as national development priorities, including the National Development Plan IV (NDP IV) and Vision 2040.
The championship comes at a time when Uganda is implementing new lower-secondary curriculum which puts greater emphasis on project-based and applied learning, creating room for hands-on innovation in schools.
According to the Ministry of Education, the shift from theory to practice under the new curriculum aligns closely with skills and robotics competitions.
It also comes as Uganda races to catch up with global developments in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including the adoption of digital technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics.
Educationists have repeatedly called for increased investment in science and technology as a sustainable solution to youth unemployment and economic development.
