The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
By Ronald Musoke
A team of six students from the department of electrical and computer engineering at the College of Engineering, Design and Technology (CEDAT) in Makerere University have won this year’s Huawei Android Applications Challenge.
The team was rewarded with a Huawei tablet and a cash prize of Ushs 1.5m during an award ceremony held at Serena Hotel in Kampala on Dec. 5, and presided over by the state minister for ICT, Nyombi Tembo.
The competition, held under the theme: ‘Enriching Life through Communication’ brought together student developers from some of Uganda’s top universities including Makerere, Kyambogo and Kampala International Universities.
The participants were required to develop applications in line with the theme, especially in relation to education, research, lifestyle and productivity.
The six students; Edward Semuwemba, Timothy Asiimwe, Power G Mukiisa, John Paul Otim, James Muranga and Noah Wasswa developed an application called ‘Destination East Africa’ which enables travelers to East Africa to plan for and have a perfect trip.
‘Destination East Africa’ offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of
travel choices and planning features with a plethora of booking tools. The application features national parks, hotels, tour operators, restaurants, lodges, shopping malls, taxi hire services, national heritage and cultural sites. Detailed information and beautiful galleries of all these places are also included in the application.
This application beat 15 other entries that reached the final stage of the competition. The apps were judged based on relevance, practicability, originality, completeness, usability and marketing.
The Huawei Android Applications Challenge was established in an effort to boost ICTs in Uganda, and seeks to engage local university students in developing android software applications that address local needs.
