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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Forty of the best university students in Uganda are set to start a six-month incubation program to enhance their technology, innovation and managment skills courtesy of Equity Bank Uganda.
The students are set to embark on transformative training and mentorship at the newly launched Equity Bank innovation hub, where they will delve into the intricacies of app development, tackle technology challenges and exchange groundbreaking ideas.
The 40 were selected from over 300 Equity Leaders Program (ELP) scholars from across various districts in Uganda with an Equity Bank presence. The ELP program selects the best students based on their Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) results from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
Speaking at the launch of the Equity Innovation Hub Uganda, Equity Bank’s Managing Director Anthony Kituuka highlighted the Bank’s commitment to developing human capital through the Equity Leaders Program and technology. “Equity has taken a step to equip the younger generation with a diversity of technology and innovative skills to solve future banking sector challenges in Uganda and Africa”.
He added, “In a world where technology is solving everyday complex life challenges and enabling development, individuals must stay ahead of the curve and continually enhance their skills to adapt to the rapidly changing global dynamics.”
Established in 1998, the Equity Leaders Program (ELP) is a rigorous leadership development initiative for top-performing students and has benefited over 24,000 scholars across the East Africa region. Its goal is to create a community of transformative leaders who work together across borders and various sectors to drive sustainable economic growth and social progress in Africa.
The program also aims to empower young, academically gifted scholars by supporting their access to education in global universities. ELP has sent five (5) scholars from Uganda and over 900 scholars from other Equity Group subsidiaries to prestigious universities such as MIT, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton.
Following the initial training, the scholars will join 400 other Equity Leaders Program scholars from across the region in Kenya for further incubation training. This phase will expand their knowledge and provide invaluable insights into the tech industry.
Officials said the launch of the Equity Group Innovation Hub is pivotal, as Equity Group spearheads the transformative Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP) to digitize value chains for 100 million customers. The initiative requires a pool of skilled technical talent and innovators.
The 40 scholars from the Equity Leaders Program Uganda are being trained by E&M Technology, a software development company specializing in financial industry innovations across East Africa. E&M Technology was founded and is run by Equity Leader Program alumni.
These scholars will be nurtured in a physical innovation hub setting, participating in workshops, sharing ideas, collaborating on projects and developing new solutions for socio-economic transformation including complex banking industry problems and cyber fraud.
