Computing & IS
CoCIS to deploy the Smart Bee Monitors in the field in December 2022
Researchers from Makerere University College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS) have designed the Smart bee Monitor ready to conduct its first trials in the field in December 2022. This is the first time the device will be taken out of the laboratory to test how it performs in monitoring bee hives.
The first deployment is going to take place at the university apiary in Namulonge which will act as the study site for this first prototype, while several others will be stationed in different fruit farms and game parks in East Africa to predict the well-being of bees under different environments.
CoCIS researchers in a collaborative project dubbed, “Adaptive Environment Monitoring Network Africa (AdEMNEA)” revealed this new development during the project 2022 first Annual conference held at Kolping Hotel In Kampala on 16th-17th November 2022. The project commencement in 2021.
The Project is funded by NORAD under the NORHED II programme supported for five years with the main emphasis on Southern partners. It builds on past success and results from the WIMEA project which automated weather services funded under the NORHED I framework with several other projects currently funded with NTNU and Makerere as partners.
The partners in the AdEMNEA project are the Norwegian University for Science and Technology as the lead partner and the Southern partners led by Makerere University, the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (Tanzania) and the University of Juba (South Sudan). Other partners are the University of Bergen (Norway), the Uganda Meteorological Authority, NaCCRI and NARO. Other partners are the Ministry of Agriculture (MAAIF), The Uganda National Apiary Development Organisation (TUNADO), Research and Education Network for Uganda (RENU) and Fruit / Bee farmers (Nwoya fruit growers cooperative society and Green Zabu Farm).
At Makerere University the project is being led by Dr. Julianne Sansa-Otim with staff from the College of Engineering Design and Art (CEDAT) and the College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB).
Speaking during the annual conference, the Principal Investigator Makerere University Dr. Julianne Sansa-Otim said, they are rolling out an adaptive resilient network infrastructure connectivity where data gathering instruments in the field can send their data through the internet.
“We are building this network and we want to contribute to protecting bees and building instruments that will gather data about bees and fruit flies. We are putting in place the smart bee monitor and have designed the first generation that it can gather the data that can help insect scientists to tell the health of the bees and the environment and aspects that are helpful to make conclusions”, Dr. Nsansa said.
Dr. Nsansa stressed that bees are endangered yet they are the biggest pollinators responsible for most of the fruits and vegetables. Bees according to Dr. Nsansa contribute towards biodiversity as other creatures rely on them for existence.
“The challenge is that because of climate change, different human factors and agro-chemicals, bees are on the decline and becoming extinct. For the remaining bees, we need to find ways of discovering what is affecting them, where do they thrive, which kind of plants do they like.
Most of the wild places where bees used to thrive have been converted into commercial farms and buildings so we need the optimize the smaller spaces remaining for bees”. She added.
She noted that as they investigate and deploy instruments out there, they will establish plants where bees can stay longer and multiply and help to come up with interventions to protect those tree species.
She reported that monitoring insects has traditionally been via manual observation and count by specialists such as entomologists and extension workers going in the bushes yet there are few specialists in Uganda and Africa that makes this method ineffective. In Uganda, it is estimated that there is one entomologist per region with less than eight entomologists in the MAAIF employed to do this work for the entire country.
The deployment of such tools in the field means that one entomologist in one place can be able to gather different data from different places. And because bees are mostly found where there are fruits and vegetables, and, one of the common pests in fruits being fruit flies, the project looked at both pollinators: – the bees which researchers want to protect and multiply and, fruit flies for study and destruction.
Fruit flies are known to be the biggest pests affecting mangoes leading to losses and likewise the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Industry and Fisheries that is responsible for monitoring and controlling pests is limited by the number of specialists.
Makerere University’s PhD student behind the design of the smart bee monitor Dr. Agatha Turyagenda said the goal is to solve the inefficiencies that come about with manual inspections of bee hives in Uganda which is associated with less productivity among Ugandan bee farmers.
Studies have shown that world over, the number of bees have declined but no study has been conducted in Uganda as farmers continue to complain about bees absconding to come to bee hives.
AdMNEA project researchers are investigating to come up with a solution to combat some of the challenges bee farmers are faced with.
“The smart bee hive has several parameters capturing images and videos, at the entrance of the bee hive and, temperature and humidity as well as carbon dioxide levels inside the bee hive and the weight of the bee hive.
All these parameters are then transferred to a remote website that anyone can be able to see as long as they have internet connectivity. So this can be on a mobile phone or laptop.
In the future we will be able to use the information collected to be able to develop programmes that can tell us which pests and diseases have infected the bee hive, if the queen is absent or present, it can tell us if the bees are preparing to swarm, the honey productivity, the weight module and also indicate the right time to harvest honey”, Dr. Turyagenda explained
Entomologist Dr. Deborah Ruth Amulen from CoVAB reported that whereas bees constitute 70% of the world’s crop pollination, their population has declined due to pesticide application, climate change, land use change and diseases.
Amulen observed that the traditional way of inspecting bee hives is time consuming, requires skills and knowledge, disrupts inside hive micro climate and risk of distributing diseases of bees while useful variables such as temperature, humidity, gases cannot be ascertained hence the need to automate the process.
“For entomologists, the smart bee monitor will help us to know when to harvest honey, when the bees are sick, when the population of bees is down so that we can check the hive and address the problem.
The smart bee hive is one of the common bee hives farmers use but the ICT team has modified it with sensors after which entomologist will populate them with bees and deploy them in fruit farms, university farms and in apiaries near the national parks so that we can compare what is happening in hives and in fruit farms where they spray a lot of chemicals.
We can therefore monitor and tell if the bees will be very sick or dying, whether the production of honey is lower compared to bees that are near national parks and where there is no chemical use near the national parks” Dr. Amulen stated.
Regular manual inspection of fruit fly traps according to Dr. Amulen is also inconvenient, misses out on critical data points such as the phenotype, density, diversity and relationships between variables such as population and weather toward prediction of infestation.
Makerere University has called for increased investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science, warning that Africa risks being left behind in the rapidly evolving global digital economy if governments and the private sector fail to prioritize the emerging technologies.
The call was made by Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, while officially opening the 14th Data Science Africa (DSA) Summer School and Workshop at the university’s Main Hall on Thursday.
The week-long event, held from July 20–24 under the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS), attracted students, researchers and professionals from across Africa and beyond. The gathering is being held under the theme, “Foundational and Practical Data Science in the Age of Generative AI.”
Prof. Nawangwe said although data has become one of the world’s most valuable resources, Africa has yet to fully appreciate its economic significance.
“I keep hearing that data is the next oil, but apparently it is already the current oil,” he said, adding that governments must be persuaded to invest more in data infrastructure, including modern data centres.
He noted that while global technology companies are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in AI, Africa remains a marginal player despite possessing the intellectual capacity to develop home-grown solutions.
Rather than attempting to compete directly with technology giants, Prof. Nawangwe urged African researchers to develop AI systems tailored to solving the continent’s unique challenges in healthcare, agriculture, education, climate resilience, governance and urban development.
“We need AI that understands Africa,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor commended Data Science Africa for nurturing a new generation of African data scientists through practical training, mentorship and collaborative research since its inception.
He also highlighted Makerere University’s investments in AI research through initiatives such as the Makerere AI Centre, AI Health Lab and other research collaborations, saying the university has continued to align its computer science programmes with emerging technologies since 2009.
Prof. Nawangwe, however, observed that Africa’s research capacity remains inadequate, stressing the need to significantly increase the number of PhD graduates to drive scientific innovation and economic transformation.
He praised CoCIS researchers, particularly Prof. Engineer Bainomugisha, for leading high-impact projects such as the AirQo initiative, which monitors air quality in more than 15 African countries.
Describing Data Science Africa as a strategic partner, Prof. Nawangwe said the annual gathering strengthens continental collaboration, mentorship and research networks essential for Africa’s technological advancement.
“We have the intellectual capacity. What is lacking is the will to invest heavily in AI,” he said.
Principal Oyana Warns on AI Risks, Urges Africa to Invest in Technology
Earlier, the Principal of the College of Computing and Information Sciences, Prof. Tony Oyana, cautioned that while artificial intelligence presents enormous opportunities, it also poses significant risks if developed without adequate ethical safeguards.
Referring to recent reports about an advanced AI system reportedly operating beyond its intended controls during testing, Prof. Oyana said the incident underscored the importance of responsible AI development.
“The world is creating a monster, and we must be ethical about that monster because it may destroy our own existence,” he said.
Prof. Oyana also expressed concern over the widening technology investment gap between Africa and developed economies.
He cited reports indicating that major technology companies in the United States have committed approximately US$700 billion to technology investments, while Africa continues to invest largely in traditional sectors such as oil and gas.
He challenged African billionaires and governments to redirect more capital towards technology, innovation and data science.
“We want our wealthy investors to put their money into technology so that Africa can also participate in this digital economy,” he said.
DSA Board Chair Praises Makerere’s Leadership in AI Research
Data Science Africa Board Chair, Cira Maina, commended Makerere University for establishing itself as one of Africa’s leading centres for artificial intelligence research and innovation.
He said the university’s numerous AI laboratories and research projects have become a source of inspiration for institutions across the continent.
“Makerere is showing us how to do AI properly. The labs and projects here are inspiring institutions across Africa,” Maina said.
Maina noted that researchers, including those at her institution in Kenya, have drawn lessons from Makerere’s research ecosystem and expressed confidence that participants attending the summer school would return to their respective countries motivated to strengthen AI research and innovation.
Maina also applauded the organising committee, led by Prof. Engineer Bainomugisha, together with programme chairs, sponsors and the wider Data Science Africa community for successfully organising the continental event.
African Researchers Must Lead Development of AI for Local Languages, Says Sunbird AI Founder
The founder of Sunbird AI, Dr. John Quinn, has challenged African researchers to take the lead in developing artificial intelligence (AI) models for indigenous languages, arguing that global technology companies are unlikely to adequately address the continent’s linguistic diversity.
Delivering the keynote address, Quinn said Africa possesses both the expertise and opportunity to build world-class language models capable of serving local communities.
“The frontier of African language models is not in OpenAI or Anthropic. It’s here, among us,” Quinn told participants. “We can do it, and we have to do it because no one else is going to.”
Quinn said Africa’s more than 2,000 languages represent not only cultural heritage but also economic opportunities whose full potential remains untapped because of language barriers.
He noted that despite massive global investments in artificial intelligence, only a fraction targets African languages and local challenges.
“Everyone is talking about AI and large language models, but African languages receive only a very small slice of global investment,” he said.
According to Quinn, reducing language barriers through AI could improve access to government services, healthcare, education and cross-border business opportunities across the continent.
Sunbird AI Unveils New Multilingual Language Models
Quinn announced the release of a new generation of Sunbird AI’s “Sunflower” language models capable of understanding and generating text in 67 major African languages, including 31 Ugandan languages. The models, range from lightweight versions that can run on smartphones to larger versions designed for desktop computers.
He also revealed speech recognition models supporting 51 African languages, describing the development as a major step toward making AI accessible to communities that primarily communicate through speech rather than text.
Quinn said earlier versions of the models had already demonstrated superior performance over some leading global AI systems in several African language translation tasks.
Using Acholi as an example, he illustrated how locally developed AI models outperformed international systems when responding to practical questions and translating indigenous languages.
“Our objective is not simply to build translation tools, but language models that understand African languages well enough to answer questions, solve problems and support local innovation,” he said.
Researchers Urged to Build Local AI Solutions
Quinn encouraged African universities and researchers to contribute data, improve language resources and refine AI models rather than waiting for multinational technology firms to prioritise African languages.
He explained that successful language models depend largely on the availability of quality training data, including books, newspapers, dictionaries and other written materials in local languages.
“The amount of language data is the biggest determinant of how good these models become,” he said.
He outlined the three major stages involved in building advanced language models;- pre-training, supervised fine-tuning and reinforcement learning describing them as processes through which AI systems learn language patterns, follow instructions accurately and improve responses over time.
Quinn noted that local researchers are better positioned to understand linguistic nuances, cultural contexts and translation challenges than developers working outside the continent.
“There is a reason these models get things wrong when they are developed thousands of miles away. The people in this room understand these languages and their cultural context better than anyone else,” he said.
Speech Technology Identified as Next Frontier
Quinn said speech technology represents the next major frontier for artificial intelligence in Africa because many indigenous languages are predominantly spoken rather than written.
He urged researchers attending the workshop to experiment with the newly released models, provide feedback and collaborate in expanding AI capabilities across more African languages.
“The opportunity is much closer than many people think,” Quinn said. “Reaching the frontier of AI for African languages is achievable if we work together.”
Data Science Africa 2026 Equips Researchers to Build AI Solutions for Africa
The Organising Chair of the 14th Data Science Africa (DSA) Summer School and Workshop, Prof. Engineer Bainomugisha, said this year’s programme was designed to equip students, researchers and professionals with the knowledge and practical skills needed to develop data science and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for Africa’s pressing challenges.
Bainomugisha said the week-long programme combines intensive training with research exchange under the theme, “Foundational and Practical Data Science in the Age of Generative AI.”
According to Bainomugisha, the event was divided into two segments;-a three-day Summer School held from July 20 to 22 and a two-day Workshop running from July 23 to 24.
Summer School Focuses on Practical AI Skills
Bainomugisha said the Summer School was designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and professionals working with large-scale or specialised datasets, particularly those with backgrounds in mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering and related disciplines.
He explained that the training introduced participants to both foundational and advanced data science concepts through lectures and practical sessions.
“The Summer School equips participants with practical and theoretical foundations in modern data science, ranging from Python basics to advanced Generative AI,” Bainomugisha said.
He said the curriculum covered Python for data science, data storytelling and visualisation, machine learning fundamentals, ethics and responsible AI, hands-on projects using real-world datasets, agentic AI and multi-agent systems, multimodal AI and large language models, AI for resource-constrained environments, natural language processing and African language models, as well as explainable AI and model interpretability.
Workshop Highlights African AI Research
Bainomugisha said the Workshop was intended to explore how foundational data science, machine learning and generative AI techniques can be combined to develop scalable solutions for challenges facing the African continent.
He noted that researchers presented work focusing on applications of AI and data science in healthcare, agriculture, climate resilience, education, environmental management and finance.
According to Bainomugisha, discussions also addressed ethical AI, cybersecurity and data governance to ensure emerging technologies are developed and deployed responsibly.
“The workshop provides a platform for researchers and practitioners to share innovations that respond to African priorities while strengthening collaboration across the continent,” he said.
Bainomugisha said the conference received submissions in the form of research papers, industry experience papers and work-in-progress presentations.
He added that although the programme was organised around six thematic areas namely foundational data science and machine learning, generative AI and African language models, AI applications, AI in education and finance, ethical AI and cybersecurity, and data governance, the organisers also encouraged high-quality submissions addressing other issues aligned with the conference theme.
He said bringing together researchers, students, innovators and industry practitioners creates opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing that will contribute to advancing Africa’s AI and data science ecosystem.
The Data Science Africa Summer School and Workshop is one of Africa’s leading annual platforms for capacity building, research dissemination and collaboration in artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science.
Jane Anyango is the Principal Communication Officer CoCIS
Photo credits: Peninah Nalubega – 4th year Journalism and Communication student.
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) and Ethical Hacking as online courses. The College is an authorized Testing center, operating under PearsonVUE and Kryterion. Listed in the table (see downloads below) are the courses currently offered at the Center with their next start dates, duration, and cost.
- 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.
Register here: https://forms.gle/eTVwcAfBGXaVLL9b7
Contact Information
E-mail: psd.cis@mak.ac.ug
Tel: +256 752 779964 | +256 701 806656 | +256 752 373023
URL: https://cocis.mak.ac.ug/cipsd/
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