Andela, the global engineering organization that is building a network of technology leaders across Africa, has officially launched in Kampala. The launch comes as Andela looks to equip the next generation of technologists and innovators in Kampala with the expertise they need to accelerate the advancement of their local communities through technology. The office will house Andela’s 110-strong world-class developers and staff in a workspace aimed at fostering collaboration.
Over 100 prominent technology stakeholders and Andela staff congregated at Andela’s Bukoto Street office to mark the event. Five Andelans, comprised of Community Manager Maria Kyamulabye, and Software Developers Caroline Nalubega, John Seremba, and Nigerian-based Tolulope Komolafe, shared their journeys as tech leaders in a panel moderated by award-winning senior investigative journalist Raymond Mujuni. Also in attendance was Albert Mucunguzi, Board Chair of the Uganda ICT Association who delivered the Keynote address. Commenting on the official launch, he said, “We are happy to see Andela’s presence in Uganda and the expansion of our tech industry. If we have 100,000 developers with the support of Andela solving one problem each, then we have 100,000 problems in Africa solved.”
New Country Director
To coincide with the launch, Andela is announcing Jackie Ochola as Andela Uganda’s new Country Director. Jackie previously held the role of Managing Director at Nokia Uganda and brings nearly 20 years of experience in managing and scaling engineering and tech teams across Africa. As Andela’s Country Director, she will be responsible for building the team and developing Andela’s growth in Kampala by providing strategic leadership and direction in Uganda.
On the launch of Andela Uganda’s new home, Ochela commented: “It is an honor to host every one of our guests for such an auspicious occasion. Their support means a lot, not only to Andela, but to our young developers looking to gain a foothold in the tech ecosystem, as they begin their careers.
“Andela has a deserved reputation for building elite tech teams, by providing the tools that aspiring young technologists need to be globally competitive software developers. With this launch, we are in a strong position to leverage on the growth opportunities that Uganda has to offer and I look forward to welcoming some of the brilliant minds to Andela Uganda. I am very excited about being part of a movement to create opportunities for young Ugandans, to build out our country’s tech ecosystem and to ensure that Andela is at the forefront of developing the leaders of the future in Uganda.”
Since launching in Uganda in 2017, Andela has grown to over 100 hundred team members, a portion of whom are working as full-time engineers at high-growth technology companies. The Andela office has been organized to maximize flexible, distributed working and provide a creative environment for Andela’s Developers.
Also present at the event was Kwame Rugunda, Chair of the Blockchain Association of Uganda, who said, “This is a dream come true to see how we can change the world one line of code at a time. Congratulations to Andela.”
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With citizens under 25 years of age constituting 70% of the country’s entire population in the world, Uganda is home to several tech hubs and incubators. Andela’s office launch and appointment of Jackie is an opportunity to further equip the next generation of young Ugandan technologists and innovators in Kampala, with the expertise they need to accelerate the advancement of their communities through technology. Earlier this year, Andela extended its Andela Learning Community [ALC], a program that provides aspiring technologists with the tools to become globally competitive software developers, to Uganda. Implemented in partnership with Google and Udacity, the program has supported 528 aspiring technologists in Uganda.
Andela Uganda Developer Conference
On Saturday 28 July 2018, Andela will hold its inaugural Andela Uganda Developer Conference at its premises. Themed ‘Powering Today’s Teams‘, the conference will bring together 150 of Uganda’s top tech influencers for a one day event, comprising of talks, panel sessions and hands-on workshops; all with a goal of igniting and refuelling the passion of techies to continue building solutions that solve for both local and global challenges. To RSVP for the Andela Uganda Developer Conference, please click here.
Yesterday, we were excited about the #AndelaLaunchUG!
Today, we’re even more excited about the first ever #AndelaDevConUg we will be having on Saturday, 28th July!
Passionate about tech?
Sign up TODAY!: https://t.co/bFHArr17Cp#AndelaEvents pic.twitter.com/a0C2WGPx30
— Andela Uganda (@Andela_UG) July 19, 2018
Applications to join Andela are currently open and can be found at uganda.andela.com
