- MTN Uganda, in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), has announced the three national winners of the inaugural Pachi Panda Innovation Challenge, following an intensive training programme and final pitch presentations held on Thursday in Kampala.
- Introduced to Uganda for the first time in 2025, the Pachi Panda Challenge aims to accelerate youth-led solutions addressing climate change, food security, water efficiency, renewable energy and environmental sustainability.
- The winners will receive cash prizes, incubation support and advanced mentorship to help scale their innovations.
- They will also represent Uganda at the Africa Pachi Panda Finals in South Africa competing alongside innovators from Zambia, Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa, next year.
Kampala, Uganda- 27th November 2025. MTN Uganda, in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), has announced the three national winners of the inaugural Pachi Panda Innovation Challenge, following an intensive training programme and final pitch presentations held on Thursday in Kampala.
The announcement marks the conclusion of months of technical refinement, business development support and expert guidance provided to the 12 shortlisted finalists selected early this month. Introduced to Uganda for the first time in 2025, the Pachi Panda Challenge aims to accelerate youth-led solutions addressing climate change, food security, water efficiency, renewable energy and environmental sustainability.
After a highly competitive pitch session before an independent judging panel, the following innovators were selected as Uganda’s top three winners:
Winner – UGX 15 million: FarmGate Digital, an online platform designed to connect farmers and traders, developed by Ruth Kyobutungi.
1st Runner-Up – UGX 10 million: The KampalaBuzzline, an initiative focused on protecting bees and promoting environmental sustainability, led by Hannington Sserwanga and
2nd Runner-Up – UGX 5 million: EcoDrop, a project aimed at addressing plastic waste through recycling and value recovery, created by Martin Kigozi.
The winners will receive cash prizes, incubation support and advanced mentorship to help scale their innovations. They will also represent Uganda at the Africa Pachi Panda Finals in South Africa, competing alongside innovators from Zambia, Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa.
MTN Uganda Chief Executive Officer Sylvia Mulinge said the results demonstrate the ingenuity and determination of Uganda’s young innovators.
“The Pachi Panda Innovation Challenge has shown us that Uganda’s young innovators are not just imagining a sustainable future; they are building it. These solutions speak directly to the priorities of MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy, which places sustainability, digital innovation, and shared value at the centre of our work,” she said.
“By empowering young people to tackle the food–energy–water challenges that shape our communities, we are helping accelerate progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals while nurturing the next generation of climate-resilient enterprises.”
Since its launch in September this year, the Pachi Panda Challenge attracted strong interest from young entrepreneurs across Uganda. The 12 finalists underwent a week of personalised coaching on business modelling, prototyping, market validation, financial planning and storytelling.
Their final pitches reflected diverse solutions ranging from regenerative agriculture and circular-waste technologies to clean-energy systems and conservation innovations.
WWF Uganda Country Director Ivan Tumuhimbise praised the strength and potential impact of the ideas presented.
“The solutions we have seen from the different teams, spanning air-quality challenges, renewable energy, waste-to-value and many other areas, are not just simple ideas but practical foundations for building a resilient and sustainable future for Uganda and the world,” he said.
“These innovations demonstrate that with the right support, the right opportunities, and the right platforms, our young people can develop solutions that truly emerge, thrive, and make a lasting difference.”
The Pachi Panda Innovation Challenge, first launched in Zambia in 2022, has expanded into five African markets and continues to build a regional pipeline of youth-led climate solutions with potential for long-term scale.
Uganda’s three winning teams now advance to the continental stage, joining a growing community of young African innovators working at the intersection of the food–energy–water nexus.