Now Accepting Audience Registrations for Uganda Business Idea Contest Innovative Solutions for Refugees and Host Communities
The contest provides an opportunity to watch finalists present business pitches aimed at addressing the social and economic challenges faced by refugees and host communities.
Purpose of the Contest
The number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide has exceeded 100 million. Addressing this challenge requires a comprehensive and inclusive response that engages not only host country governments and development partners but also the private sector and society. In response to this situation, the Government of Uganda and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in collaboration with the UNHCR Representation in Japan and Welcome Japan, will host the Uganda Business Idea Contest:Innovative Solutions for Refugees and Host Communities on Thursday, July 10, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
This contest aims to promote self-reliance and peaceful coexistence of refugees and host communities through business creation that addresses shared social and economic challenges.
Participation requires pre-registration. Interested individuals or groups are encouraged to complete the pre-entry form available via the link below. https://forms.office.com/e/FnYT08Qafe
Deadline: 6 p.m., 9 July
Contest Detail
・Theme
The contest focuses on business plans that propose innovative solutions to social and economic issues, with the goal of fostering peaceful coexistence and self-reliance for both refugees and host communities.
・Schedule
July 10 (Thu), 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
・Program
- Opening Remarks
- Participants Introduction
- Introduction of the Contest
- Presentation of Business Ideas by the 4 Finalists
- Winner Announcement
- Closing Remarks
<<Lunch and Networking >>
・Location
MOTIV Creations Limited, Plot 7 Old Port Bell Rd, Kampala.
MAP URL: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZgXBLFrkK91hUf3U8
・Fee
Participation is Free
・Participation
Please complete the pre-registration form using the link below:
https://forms.office.com/e/FnYT08Qafe
Please note that video footage from this contest will be used during the business contest at Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan. Participants who do not wish to appear in the footage can request designated spaces to avoid filming.
Introducing the Finalists' Business Ideas
Business Plan Title: WaterkitPay
WaterKitPay is Uganda’s first social platform for financing essential WASH and clean energy products, focusing on refugee and host communities. It features a marketplace and nano-banking system, enabling users to save in digital wallets to pay for approved products and services. This platform simplifies access to vital resources, promoting sustainability and self-reliance.
Business Plan Title: Smart Skills Innovation
Smart Skills Innovation is a digital skills platform for refugees and host communities in Uganda. It offers offline training in coding, mobile money, freelancing, and entrepreneurship, accessible via smartphones or hubs. The platform fosters self-reliance, reduces unemployment, and promotes collaboration through localized content and peer mentorship.
Business Plan Title: Circular E-waste economy and community empowerment initiative for bidibidi refugee and host community
BEMcos offers electronics waste collection, repairs, and recycling of solar lanterns, as well as testing, assembling, and developing lithium batteries into second-life battery packs in Bidibidi refugee settlement. By offering clean energy solutions and creating 22 jobs for both refugees and host communities, with funding from Innovation Norway, implemented by Mercy Corps and supported by IOM, it reduces electronic waste, fosters self-reliance, and promotes a cleaner environment for all.
Business Plan Title: Loan-to-Own Bioenergy: A Refugee-Led Circular Model for Clean Cooking & Resilient Futures
This solution utilizes bio digesters and Black Soldier Fly systems to convert organic waste into clean cooking gas, animal feed, and organic fertilizer. The BUAK Loan-to-Own System enables low-income households to repay loans with products like slurry and frass, promoting self-reliance. The model addresses energy poverty, food insecurity, and environmental degradation, fostering sustainable livelihoods in refugee and host communities.
Contact Information
JICA Business Idea Contest Organizing Office (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LCC)
Organizer
Government of Uganda
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Co-organizer
UNHCR Representation in Japan
Welcome Japan