From nearly 1000 entrants, the Stanbic National Schools Championship (NSC) has reached its climax, with eight schools out of the 12 regional finalists qualifying for the grand finale set for August 28, 2026.
They are competing for a multi-million-shilling cash prize, but more important, an opportunity to showcase innovative solutions to some of Uganda’s most pressing community challenges.
Held annually since 2016, the Championship identifies Uganda’s most promising young entrepreneurs and innovators, with the underlying goal of nurturing the next generation of problem-solvers, entrepreneurs and future leaders.
Diana Ondoga, the Manager Corporate Social Investment (CSI) said, “We see this programme as our contribution to building Uganda’s next entrepreneurs, employees and leaders. In this year’s 11th edition, Stanbic Bank engaged 913 participating schools through a nationwide innovation challenge.”
She said the students were tasked with solving practical problem scenarios alongside their learners before the boot camp selection process.
“As a result, approximately 90% to 95% of participating schools benefited directly from entrepreneurship and innovation learning, regardless of whether they advanced to the boot camp,” she said.
The championship also aligns with Uganda’s competency-based curriculum by promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving skills that prepare learners for the future of work.
Following a highly competitive one-week boot camp hosted by Gayaza High School during May, and where students first presented their various ideas to the judges, 12 regional finalist school teams progressed to the appraisal stage.
The selected schools received seed capital to further develop and refine their business ideas, with the progress, viability, impact and potential of their innovations determining the eight schools which will compete during the grand finale.
Ondoga said, “As Stanbic marks 35 years of operations in Uganda, the National Schools Championship provides a powerful demonstration of its belief that Uganda’s growth is inseparable from the growth of its people and that investing in young innovators today is an investment in the entrepreneurs, employees, leaders and problem-solvers who will drive Uganda’s growth tomorrow.”
Aga Khan High School is working on Renewablock Interlocking Blocks, a circular economy innovation that transforms plastic waste mixed with sand into durable, eco-friendly interlocking bricks. The solution provides an affordable alternative construction material while reducing environmental pollution caused by plastic waste.
According to John Arinaitwe, a Senior Five student, “This is to help every Ugandan regardless of their income status because we have people in informal settlements and people in rural areas who wish for better homes that are actually presentable.”
St. Kizito High School, Namugongo has come up with Tunza Organics, an agribusiness that promotes sustainable food production, value addition, and reduced food waste within the school ecosystem.
“The projects teach us that we don’t have to always look up to the same things each and every time, but rather accept change, because it’s one of the ways we can change our lives, and also save our environment,” Barbra Ntunde, a Senior Five student said.
Florence Nambejja Kikomeko, an English teacher and project coordinator and patron teacher, said she believes the innovation can become a source of employment for learners. She said, “Once a learner has managed to go through this (NSC) process, then that means the child is not going to look for any job.”
Kyebambe Girls Secondary School is pegging their hopes on a Smart Solar Irrigation System. This is an affordable and sustainable irrigation solution for vegetable farmers. Powered by solar energy, the system automatically regulates watering based on crop needs, reducing water wastage and minimizing manual labour.
“At the moment, we have already developed a smart irrigation kit that is not manually operated. It is a system that works on its own and irrigates automatically. Although it is still in the development stage, it has made significant progress and is already functioning,” Marian Owembabazi said.
She noted that because Uganda is an agro-based economy, irrigation plays a critical role in agricultural productivity. However, many of the existing irrigation systems still rely heavily on manual labour, which is not always reliable.
The team from St. Theresa Girls SS, Nsenyi has developed a Terra Menstrual Pain Relief Belt, a user-friendly wearable belt designed to help women manage menstrual pain.
“I know many girls need this solution, and I believe this project can go beyond the borders of Uganda,” Catherine Kabhogwe, a Senior Two student, said.
Kabhogwe said the belts generate heat of up to 40 degrees Celsius, which is safe for the human body and effective in relieving menstrual pain.
Iganga Secondary School has produced an Iga Bank Cooler, an affordable post-harvest storage and preservation innovation designed to help small-scale vegetable farmers and market vendors reduce food spoilage and financial losses.
The Eastern Uganda agro-ecological zone is a vital agricultural hub renowned for the production of Arabica coffee, bananas, and vegetables in the highlands of Mount Elgon, and rice, maize, and groundnuts in the lowlands.
Bartha Okurut said, “You can’t harvest 50 kilograms of tomatoes then make a loss of 45 kilograms. It means you are not going anywhere. Not because you don’t want to make profits, but because some challenges are beyond your control.”
Kakira Secondary School have put together a Seed Planting Machine, an agritech venture developing an affordable and efficient seed-planting solution for small-scale farmers and out-growers.
According to the students, farmers using traditional methods often spend up to eight hours planting an acre and hire casual labour at a cost of about UGX 60,000 per acre.
Splendour Tusabe, a Senior Two student said, “Our research showed that planting remains one of the most labour-intensive activities for farmers. We wanted to develop a simple tool that any farmer can afford and use to save both time and money,”
Bishop Dunstan Nsubuga Memorial SS are showcasing a BFC Eco-Drop (Bottle For Cash), a smart recycling machine designed to encourage proper plastic waste disposal while rewarding users for participation.
The machine allows community members to deposit plastic bottles into a smart collection unit that verifies each disposal and instantly credits a small monetary reward to a linked user digital account.
The innovation seeks to address the growing challenge of plastic waste while demonstrating how technology and incentives can be combined to encourage communities to adopt responsible waste-management practices.
Sedes Sapientiae Academiae students have developed an agro-feed processing machine designed to help poultry farmers reduce feed production costs and improve profitability.
According to Steven Turyamwesiimire, farmers have poultry feed materials but lack affordable ways of processing them, which makes the process costly.
“So, we decided to make a machine that can help farmers to process their feeds at home without buying (processed feed), and this helps them reduce 60% in feeding costs and increase their monthly profits,” he said.
As the eight schools head into the grand finale, the Stanbic NSC continues to demonstrate the power of giving young people a platform to identify challenges within their communities and develop practical solutions to address them.
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