Ugandan techpreneur, Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa, has been sworn in as the African Representative on the Commonwealth Youth Council Executive Committee. Nabuuma took oath during the Commonwealth Youth Forum, which is held in parallel with the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). She is expected to serve until 2024.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is held at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda and will end on Sunday, June 26th, 2022.
After swearing in Nabuuma said, “I grew up in Africa, schooled in Africa, and started my business in Africa before I scaled to the rest of the world. I, therefore, know each problem every entrepreneur faces in their journey, and it is why I accepted the Commonwealth appointment.”
Nabuuma further added that “I am here to look out for ways to help tech entrepreneurs get training, to scale their innovations, and get linked to the investors willing to invest in the African tech ecosystem.” She concluded her remarks by noting that every young African entrepreneur is her priority — “because I am one of them,” she says.
Nabuuma is the founder and CEO of the CHIL Artificial Intelligence Lab Group; a company that incorporates the use of artificial intelligence-guided e-oncology services to detect cervical and breast cancer in women and also uses drone services for easier transportation of cervical cancer specimens. Nabuuma also co-founded Solerchil Technologies, a food tech company that makes and rents solar-powered cold rooms to farmers and food market vendors to safely preserve their unsold food for a longer time.
As the African Regional Representative, Nabuuma will support the overall governance of the Council in their respective regions. She is accountable to the General Assembly as the official link between the Commonwealth Youth Council and the African continent. In addition to her role, Nabuuma will also be an advocate for young people in the Commonwealth as well as coordinate and promote the work of the Council at the African regional level.
The Commonwealth Youth Council works to mobilize, amplify and action the voices of young people and advocate for governments to meaningfully engage and develop young people. It partners and collaborates strategically with the Commonwealth Secretariat and other organizations with a focus on youth development and global change.
Shamim’s Achievements
2022: Chil Artificial Intelligence Lab (Chil AI Lab) was among the 30 women-led startups that benefited from the Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (WE4A) growth program, receiving funding of up to UGX200 million.
2021: Nabuuma was selected by the Bloomberg New Economy as one of the extraordinary individuals forming the inaugural class of catalysts which includes 30 other scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers. In the same year, she was also profiled among the 80 women advancing AI in Africa.
2020: Nabuuma became the first Ugandan to make it on the cover of Forbes Magazine, for her selection in the magazine’s Africa 30 under 30 lists.
