MTN Uganda announced its first ever MTN Innovation Awards

MTN Uganda announced its first ever MTN Innovation Awards. The Innovation awards are a platform under MTN’s Innovation Lab, through which they want to recognize the most outstanding locally developed mobile and desktop applications, as well as individuals and organizations that have been at the forefront of enabling the innovation ecosystem in the country.

The awards, grouped into eight categories, will recognize and award outstanding applications in the fields of health, education, financial services, SME solutions and Enterprise development. MTN will further recognize the outstanding Woman in Innovation, most innovative Mobile App, and the Innovation Achiever of the year, through these awards.

According to MTN Uganda’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mapula Bodibe, the awards are part of MTN’s commitment to enabling, leading and supporting a technology-driven economy.

“Through initiatives like the MTN App Challenge – held in May 2015 – and the recently concluded MTN Juniors’ Robotics Camp, MTN Uganda strives to be a key driver and supporter to shaping Uganda’s future in technology and innovation. It is with this vision in mind that the leading telco in Uganda is launching the MTN Innovation Awards,” she said.

The awards are open for applications and solutions that have existed on the market for at least one year.

“With the MTN Innovation Awards, we would like to recognize creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship amongst participants. We shall be looking out for applications that have already been launched independently and have been used in the market with measurable impact,” the Chief Marketing Officer added.

She also explained that the applications must address a problem or opportunity as defined in the respective Award category.

In an interview last month with Susan Kayemba, Senior Manager, Retention and Social Media, said “Our intent is to be a partner in building the innovation ecosystem. So we’re recognizing the apps that have been created, and on the other hand we want to recognize people who are enabling that.”

“We have people that aren’t developing apps but are putting down infrastructure in many ways. The ecosystem needs all of them to grow, and we need to start recognizing them,” she went on to say.