Uganda is set to take a continental lead in advancing science, technology, and engineering, as it hosts the 11th UNESCO Africa Engineering Week and the 9th African Engineering Conference from September 14–20, 2025, at the Speke Resort Convention Centre in Munyonyo. The high-level gathering will bring together engineers, scientists, innovators, policymakers, and students from across Africa and beyond, under the theme “Leveraging Engineering Innovations and Technology to Accelerate Africa’s Socio-Economic Transformation.”
The event, organized in partnership by the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat in the Office of the President (STI-OP), the Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE), UNESCO, the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), and the Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO), is being billed as a defining moment for Uganda’s industrial and technological aspirations.
In a statement confirming Uganda’s readiness to host, the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza, said engineering remains the backbone of any serious STI ecosystem and is essential to Uganda’s bold ambition to grow its GDP ten-fold to USD 500 billion by 2040. She noted that the conference provides a timely and strategic opportunity to demonstrate how engineering innovations are not only solving critical challenges across the continent but also unlocking transformative growth opportunities.
“Engineering is the engine that drives progress. Through this conference, Uganda is giving visibility to the engineers and innovators shaping Africa’s future,” Dr. Musenero stated. “This is a resounding signal to all potential partners—regional and international—that Uganda is ready to lead, ready to collaborate, and ready to innovate.”
The week-long event will feature a mix of scientific presentations, keynote speeches by global thought leaders, parallel breakout sessions, and hands-on workshops designed to spark real-world solutions. At the core of the program will be a high-level Ministerial Forum bringing together African ministers to forge a coordinated approach to science and innovation policy across the continent.
An open-to-public exhibition will run alongside the conference, showcasing the progress made in electric mobility, artificial intelligence, materials engineering, electronics manufacturing, and value addition to Uganda’s natural resources. The exhibition is also expected to serve as a platform for market linkages, technology demonstration, and investor engagement, elevating both Uganda’s and Africa’s engineering prestige on the global stage.
Highlighting the importance of homegrown, context-driven solutions, Dr. Musenero called on engineers, innovators, students, and policymakers to seize the opportunity. “We must co-create tools and technologies that work for our people—not imported templates, but African-led ideas that are scalable, inclusive, and transformational,” she urged.
With engineering at the heart of Uganda’s Vision 2040 and STI being prioritized as a national growth engine, the upcoming conference is expected to galvanize the country’s innovation ecosystem and reinforce its role in shaping Africa’s technological future.
The Secretariat urged all Ugandans—from policymakers to university students—to turn up, connect, learn, and contribute to what promises to be a landmark gathering of minds and ideas powering Africa’s progress.
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