Young Engineers Uganda kids Win in the 2nd Young Engineers Pan Africa STEM Competition with Sustainable Smart City of Kampala Project
By Deborah Nkusi
A team of 15 children from Young Engineers Uganda, won a STEM competition Trophy in Tanzania in the second Young Engineers Pan Africa Competition.
The competition which was held on Saturday November 16, at Aga Khan Primary School, brought together children under the Young Engineers STEM Education Programme focused on innovation and robotics education from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Hosted in Tanzania for the first time, the event was organized by Young Engineers Tanzania Franchisee Ms Benazir Kurji in collaboration with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
Nearly 200 participants, aged 6-14, showcased their creativity and technical skills under this year’s theme: “Design Sustainable Cities with Integrated Transportation Systems to Solve Urbanization Challenges.”
The young innovators presented impressive projects, including vehicles, smart cities, modern bridges, and wind-powered electricity generators, using the Young Engineers Master Builders Kits.
The team from Uganda presented a project envisioning a Smart City of Kampala and it won them overall trophy, trouncing the two east African countries. The other countries that were expected to participate are South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Zambia.
Each Kit, containing over 300 motorized LEGO pieces, enabled students to apply real-world principles of engineering, mechanics, physics and mathematics.
Uganda’s students emerged as the overall winners of this year’s competition, while other countries excelled in other categories.
Speaking at the event, franchise owner and director of Young Engineers Tanzania, Ms Benazir Kurji, underscored the importance of the competition in nurturing collaboration and critical thinking among young minds.
“The Pan African STEM Competition provides a platform for young minds across the continent to collaborate, innovate and share ideas in robotics, engineering, and STEM education,” she said.
Ms Kurji added that the initiative helps students to learn from one another, sharpen their skills, and prepare for careers in the fast-changing technological landscape.
The Head of Aga Khan Primary School, Ms Brandin’s Duwe, highlighted the event’s significance in empowering students to address societal challenges through innovation.
“What we are doing is building on where the government has started by aligning with global development goals. These students now have the opportunity to design solutions that can help to tackle issues such as traffic congestion and infrastructure development,” she said.
More than 30 schools, both national and international, participated in categories such as ‘Best Teamwork’, ‘Most Innovative,’ and ‘Most Creative.’
Winners in the categories included schools like International Schools of Tanganyika (IST), Hannah Bennie Schools (HBS), and Aga Khan Primary School (AKPS).
Young Engineers Uganda CEO Maureen Karamagi lauded the children for making Uganda proud:
“These children have made us, their parents and their country proud. It was a tough competition but they were very resilient throughout. Uganda has a future,” she said.
The event follows the success of the inaugural Pan African STEM Competition, held in Nairobi, Kenya ,in November 2023.
The competition is part of a global initiative by Young Engineers, a franchise founded in 2008 and operating in over 60 countries.
The Young Engineers programme offers after-school programs designed to equip children with critical 21st century skills, including creativity, spatial cognition, teamwork and problem-solving. It is present in over 70 countries of the world.
Recognized by Harvard University and the European Union Commission for its innovative education model, Young Engineers programme continues to shape the next generation of innovators worldwide.
In Uganda, it was founded by journalist and entrepreneur Arinaitwe Rugyendo in 2015.
