Shariff Omega

In 2024, SUMIC IT Solutions Ltd (@SumicUg) became one of the pioneer companies supported under UJ-CONNECT. On 10 November 2026, I had the honour of contributing to that same initiative as one of five jury members at the UJ-CONNECT Entrepreneurs’ Demo Day in Nakawa, Kampala. This was a particularly meaningful moment for me. UJ-CONNECT opened an important door in SUMIC IT’s journey into international markets. It helped us establish relationships with Japanese companies, explore business opportunities and build collaborations that continue today. The foundation laid in 2024 remains an important part of our growing relationship with Japan. Returning as a judge was an opportunity to give back and support other Ugandan innovators taking their own steps towards building sustainable businesses. Across the 8️⃣ (eight) participating teams, we assessed ideas with attention to commercial viability, innovation, scalability and the teams’ ability to execute. Behind each pitch was an effort to solve a practical problem in our communities. Congratulations to the four teams awarded a combined USD $6,500 in grants: 1️⃣ Solar Care: for automated solar panel cleaning. 2️⃣ HydroGuard: for a firefighting robot. 3️⃣ Zapher Farms: for offline AI-powered crop disease detection. 4️⃣ EcoSwap Energies: for solar-powered battery-swapping stations for electric motorcycles. To every participating team: keep listening to customers, testing your assumptions and improving your solutions. The work you do after the competition will determine how far your innovation goes. My sincere appreciation goes to @MoICT_Ug, @JicaUganda, the Embassy of Japan in Uganda, @UICTug and @innovationhubug. I also acknowledge Hon. Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, Dr. @azawedde, Mr. Yoshida Norimasa, Mr. Hideshi Yamashita, Dr. Fredrick Edward Kitoogo, Mr. Ambrose Bakwasiibwe, Mr. Gastervas Rutwara and the programme’s organisers, trainers and mentors for supporting this journey. It was a privilege to serve alongside my fellow judges: Mr. Watanabe Shimpei, Ms. @FlaviaOpio, Mr. Emmanuel Twesigye and Mr. Keneth Twesigye. #UJConnect #UgandaJapan #VisitSumic