Computing & IS

Mak Student for the Continental Africa IOT & AI Challenge Finals 2021

Published

4 years ago

December 7, 2021

A screenshot of UBC TV's Lunchtime Bulletin of 20th November 2021 showing Mr. Mbusa Joseph (L) and a teammate at the UICT Premises in Nakawa.

Mbusa Joseph, a student from the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS) undertaking a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems and Technology is set to attend the Africa Internet of Things (IOT) & Artificial Intelligence (AI) Challenge finals in Jumeirah Towers, Dubai, UAE from 12th-18^th December 2021.

Mr. Mbusa Joseph who is also the CoCIS College President emerged as the best during the National competition of the (IOT) & (AI) Challenge in Uganda which took place on Thursday 18th November 2021 at the National ICT Hub premises at Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Nakawa . Mr. Mbusa Joseph and others trounced their counterparts from Kabale and Busitema University.

Mbusa was among the Mak team that developed a technology dubbed, “Ntaasa Emergency system”, to improve communication between the emergency service providers (Ambulances, Police, firefighters, and health works) and the Ugandan citizen.

“I congratulate Makerere University upon having students at the final National Competitions in which the best candidates will represent Uganda at the regional and continental levels in Dubai on the 13th December 2021”, said Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, Chairman and Managing Director UTAMU Research and Innovation City (UTAMURIC). UTAMURIC is an umbrella non-profit organization that promotes research, innovation, business incubation and startups in Africa.

Injury and medical emergencies are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Uganda. The burden has cost the country massively in terms of human life.

This is partly attributed to inadequate means of communication between the Ugandan citizens and the emergency service providers (Ambulances, Police, and Health services. There is also an inadequate means of reporting violence and crime to the stakeholders.

It is for this and other reasons that students wrote a proposal to develop sustainable solutions that will increase access to emergency medical and security services across the country and reduce preventable deaths of Ugandans as government works towards rolling out the National Emergency Medical Service.

“The goal and objective(s) of this project is to save lives with the use of technology, bridge the communication gap between the emergency service providers and the Ugandan citizen and to improve crime reporting and other unacceptable conditions in society to the police and other stakeholders”, Mr. Mbusa said.

Users download the application from google play store by search keyword, “Ntaasa Emergency system” and then install that application on their phone.

The name and phone number of the person get registered in the software application for quick back and forth communication with the service provider and the victim. The user then gets access to all the service providers’ contact information so that they can call them or send SMS to them.

“Service providers give us toll free numbers, however, if they do not have a toll-free number then, they give us a paid number. For users that are not able to connect to the internet, we shall have an SMS short code where they can place their requests and our agents will be responding and connecting to them in real-time,”, said Mr. Mbusa Joseph.

Africa IoT& AI Challenge

Africa IoT& AI Challenge is a continent-wide program for senior university students and startups that have innovative ideas in the areas of Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related fields. The challenge is co-organized by several national and international partners like the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) with its dedicated society for Technology and Engineering Management (IEEE TEMS), and different universities, corporates, and governmental entities in Africa

“On behalf of the steering committee of the Africa IoT& AI Challenge, I cordially invite you to participate in the finals of the Africa challenge among the activities of IEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence & Internet of Things (IEEE GCAIoT ) 21”, Mr. Mohamed Aboud, Chairman of Africa IoT& AI Challenge Program stated in his invitation letter to Mak students.

Click on the news link below and start viewing at 19 minutes

Jane Anyango is the Principal Communication Officer, CoCIS

Related Topics:Africa AI Artificial Intelligence challenge CoCIS Finals Internet Of Things IoT

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Computing & IS

CoCIS CIPSD Short Courses for Vacists, Students and Professionals

Published

6 days ago

May 19, 2026

Mak Editor

Block B of the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda.

Makerere University College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS) is the main ICT Training, Research and Consultancy Centre in Makerere University. The College has six Academic departments comprising of the Department of Computer Science, Department of Networks, Department of Information Technology, Department of Information Systems, Department of Library and Information Sciences, and the Department of Records and Archives management.

In addition to the mainstream degree programmes, CoCIS has a specialized Center for Innovations and Professional Skills Development (CIPSD) which delivers state-of-art training in ICT e.g. the Cisco Networking Academy for Cisco related courses, the Microsoft IT Academy Program for Microsoft related courses, International Computer Driving License course, Oracle Certified Training center for Oracle, Linux and Unix Training center. CIPSD also offers Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI) as online courses.

Click link below for start dates and to register:

https://forms.gle/eTVwcAfBGXaVLL9b7

All courses are at affordable fees catering for Students, Vacists, Professionals and
Anyone who wants to start a career in ICT or polish his/her ICT skills.

Contact Information

E-mail: psd.cis@mak.ac.ug
Call/WhatsApp: +256 752 779964 | +256 701 806656 | +256 752 373023
URL: https://cocis.mak.ac.ug/cipsd/

***CoCIS CIPSD Short Courses for Vacists, Students and Professionals.***

Computing & IS

Mak-AI Multilingual AI for Health Challenge – Fully Online

Published

2 weeks ago

May 13, 2026

Mak Editor

Makerere University Centre for Artificial Intelligence (Mak-AI) Multilingual AI for Health Challenge is now open fully online on Zindi, Deadline: 21st July 2026. College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS), Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

What happens when AI speaks African languages?

The Makerere University Centre for Artificial Intelligence (Mak-AI) Multilingual AI for Health Challenge is now open on Zindi; inviting innovators, researchers, and developers to build AI systems that answer health questions in African languages such as Luganda, Kiswahili, Akan, and Amharic.

This challenge focuses on improving access to trusted maternal, sexual, and reproductive health information for communities across Africa, especially in low-resource settings.

Win up to $5,000 USD
Fully Online
Open until 21 July 2026

If you’re passionate about AI, language technologies, and building solutions with real social impact, this is your chance to contribute.

Register here: https://bit.ly/4u5VrFG

Computing & IS

Call for Applications: Certificate in Health Informatics (June 2026 Intake)

Published

1 month ago

April 14, 2026

John Okeya

Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) invites applications for the June 2026 intake of its 4-week Certificate in Health Informatics short course, designed to equip professionals with practical skills to use data and digital technologies to improve healthcare delivery.

Course Overview

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are transforming healthcare delivery across Africa. However, many professionals are trained in either health or informatics, creating a gap in the effective use of digital solutions in healthcare.

This course is tailored to bridge that gap by equipping participants with practical knowledge and skills to design, implement, and manage health information systems. Through case-based learning and real-world examples, participants will explore how technology can improve healthcare delivery, particularly in resource-constrained settings.

Course Aim

To equip health professionals with the knowledge and skills to effectively implement and utilise health informatics for improved healthcare service delivery.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

Apply Health Information Technology (HIT) to improve healthcare systems
Understand and use Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), including integration and interoperability
Manage digital health innovations such as telemedicine, mHealth, and wearable technologies
Apply data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) concepts
Address ethical issues in health data, including privacy, security, and governance

Course Modules

Health Information Technology
Adoption and Diffusion of Healthcare IT
Clinical Decision Support Systems
Electronic Health Records
Healthcare IT Industry & Global Policies
Telemedicine
Ethics, Security, Confidentiality & Privacy of Health Records
Healthcare Data Collection and Management

Course Schedule

Dates: 1^st June – 30^th June 2026
Duration: 4 weeks
Sessions: Daily (2 hours)
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (EAT)
Mode: Online (Zoom)

Target Audience

This course is suitable for:

Health professionals (doctors, nurses, pharmacists)
Paramedical personnel and hospital administrators
Statisticians, data managers, and social scientists
IT professionals and health IT implementers
Medical science graduates

Applicants should have relevant experience or interest in improving healthcare delivery using technology and be willing to work in multidisciplinary teams.