Meet the Top 2024 Business Trend Pace Setters  at the 5th Business Trend Setters Forum   

All is set for the 5th Business Trendsetters Forum 2024 set to be held on 29th August 2024 at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala organized by The Business Trends Galore and partners moderated by Ms. Yvonne Mpanga, a Business Development Consultant. 

Themed “Artificial Intelligence, your Meet the Pace Setters to convene at the 5th Business Trend Setters Forum mind and your business”, various experts are going to discuss the topical issues of the day to forge a way forward for business as they utilize new technologies in the medical, health care and others industries.

Below are some of the experts that you should not miss at the Trendsetter Forum 2024 grand finale:

Dr.Joseph Muvawala

Dr. Joseph Muvawala, The Executive Director, National Planning Authority (NPA)

More popular as The Katikiro (Prime Minister) of Busoga Kingdom, Dr. Joseph Muvawala holds a PhD in Economics, a Master of Arts in Economic Policy and Planning and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Social Administration, all from Makerere University. He possesses professional experience both at middle-level and top management of over 20 years in development practice and policy formulation. For the last 6 years, Dr. Muvawala has been the Executive Director of the National Planning Authority a semi-autonomous Agency under the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, charged with developing integrated development plans for Uganda.

Warren Carey

Mr. Waren D. Carey (PhD) an African FinTech Award Winner and CEO at Infitx.

Warren has been working as a lead technologist in the Digital Financial Services (DFS) industry since 2005 when he played a leading role in the team that created and launched the industry shaping mobile money service M-PESA in 2007. 

Since Vodafone’s M-PESA, Warren has worked as CTO on a number of mobile money solutions and is a keen advocate of open APIs and promoting the interoperability of operational services. Warren’s mission is to allow the inventions of the fintech revolution to push the frontiers of financial service until financial inclusion is possible for individuals right across the economic spectrum. 

As a DFS expert, Warren has represented Mobile Money Americas Corp in conversations with the IFC, CGAP, and US Government via the Federal Reserve Faster Payments Task Force. This was a task force considering modernisation of the entire US payment landscape, and along with the CEO, Warren led the team to successfully press for regulatory change in the USA to accommodate what the US Federal Reserve recognised as an innovative, practical and achievable solution to increase financial inclusion in one of the world’s largest and most crowded financial landscapes.

Before becoming active in DFS, Warren worked in distributed process control and technology consulting across multiple sectors.

As a technologist focused on delivering real-world value, Warren balances stakeholder requirements, building teams within existing organisations or in greenfield situations, and strives to deliver business value via agile, manageable, scalable, high-quality solutions. These are often large-scale distributed cloud-based solutions where he has demonstrated how forward-thinking architecture and practical systems design can be the key to unlocking efficiency and delivering customer-centric solutions.

Warren continues to provide technical leadership to financial service and technology companies; allowing his clients to exploit new opportunities or transform legacy business.

Jackie Ochola

Jackie Ochola, GM Wave Mobile Money a Telecom and Fintech Company.

A Pioneer with a glibal telecom Ericson, Jackie Ochola, is a Ugandan Technology enthusiast, a Business Leader and a visionary in Uganda’s tech scene, from telecoms to fintech, Jackie’s leadership is shaping the future of digital finance.

She is a business leader, engineering manager and qualified project management professional with 15+ years of work experience. Keen on Transformational Leadership.

Rose Nakasi

Rose Nakasi (PhD) Team Leader, Ocula AI Project, Makerere University.

She is a distinguished Artificial Intelligence (AI) researcher whose work is at the forefront of technological innovation in healthcare. Her research interests lie at the intersection of Computer Vision and Machine Learning, specifically focusing on applying these cutting-edge technologies for automated microscopic diagnosis and spatial modeling of diseases in low-resourced countries.

Her research interest is artificial intelligence, particularly in developing low-cost tools for improved automated solutions for diagnostic health challenges, such as tools to support microscopy diagnostics for diseases like malaria, cervical cancer, tuberculosis, and intestinal parasites. 

Julius Oluka

Mr. Julius Oluka, Founder and Partners at GoldKach, UK based Financial Advisor will advise on sustaining wealth.

Hon. Moses Magogo

Hon Eng Moses Magogo, FUFA President. And MP Budiope East. 

On 14th January 2021, Magogo was voted as the Member of Parliament for Budiope East in Buyende District and will represent the Constituency for the next five years (2021-2026).

As FUFA President Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim has achieved various innovations including the following; 

Magogo is credited for having transformed the league and football competition systems in Uganda and particularly the FUFA Big League and Regional Leagues.

He is also responsible for starting the players contracting regulations and system in Uganda, negotiating and concluding the various sponsorships to football. Magogo has been a key player in the governance reforms at FUFA and elected to the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Executive Committee in 2019.

Robert Okello

Mr. Robet Bob Okello, Founder and Team Leader at Maarifasasa Ltd, who has also among the nominees for the Trend setter awards. 

Robert Bob Okello is a Founder and CEO at Maarifasasa Limited, a cutting-edge Ugandan education technology company leveraging technological innovations to democratize access to 21st-century education and skilling for the future of work. He is a passionate and results-oriented digital entrepreneur with a zeal for changing the world through education, technology, and entrepreneurship.

Robert is a 2018 Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Program alumnus and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, USA, with a self-curated Bachelor of Science degree in African Development Engineering (Planned Program Major) and a Minor in Entrepreneurship, Okello has a knack for combining the principles of engineering with economics, entrepreneurship, design, business, and policy to create technological interventions in accordance with the needs and wants of individuals living in complex often low-resource settings. 

While at the University of Oklahoma, Bob was a Davis United World College Scholar, the first international student in the President’s Leadership Class (PLC) and served as a student leader in various roles including as President of The United World (TUW) and President of the International Advisory Committee (IAC). Bob is an ardent technologist, adventurer, reader, globetrotter, and enjoys meeting new people and interacting with new cultures.

The Trend Setters Forum is sponsored by URA, NSSF, Hipipo, NPA, Charmaer News among others.

Global Business Trends is a brainchild of Goodworks MCM Ltd (Marketing Communications and Media), an integrated consultancy private company, and provides first-rate services in the field of Business Development, Marketing, Public Relations, HR Development, Media Liaison, and Event’s management. It was noticed that many Entrepreneurs have birthed ideas that have benefited society. The trends set though notable have not been recognized and, in some cases, not harnessed for further development.

Among the 2024 participants is The Youth Startup Academy Uganda (YSAU), a project funded by the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME), has emerged as a cornerstone partner for this year's Forum. Modeled after South Korea's highly successful Youth Startup Academy, the leading startup incubation and acceleration program in the Republic of Korea, YSAU has already nurtured over 1,000 startups and businesses in Uganda. 

In the past year alone, YSAU alumni have generated over $4.5 million in revenue, secured more than $1.2 million in investments, and created over 270 jobs. This remarkable impact is a testament to the unwavering support of the Republic of Korea's government, through KOSME, along with the International Trade Centre and the National Information Technology Authority of Uganda (NITA-U). At this year's Forum, 20 YSAU alumni companies will showcase their innovative products and services, highlighting the program's ongoing success and its vital role in empowering Uganda's entrepreneurial ecosystem.