THE 5TH SWARM SUMMIT 2023 The Future of Work

THE 5TH SWARM SUMMIT 2023 The Future of Work

The Annual SWARM Summit is organized and hosted by HIVE COLAB. This year’s summit will be held on the 31st March, 2023 at HIVE COLAB and it’s aimed at discussing how shifts in technology advancements could affect work and the preparedness of the workforce to change in this evolving digital space.

The SWARM Summit is an event that convenes great thinkers, innovators, practitioners and policy makers of technology who are transforming Uganda’s digital space. Technology is fast advancing in the 21st century, witnessing the emergence of ground breaking innovations that are revolutionizing the world. These technologies are associated with the Internet of Things (IoT), Block Chain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Sensor Networks and Social Media that are drivers of social transformation in this era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Technology is at the heart of economic growth. It is undoubtedly a key ingredient of growth and economic transformation. New technologies are advancing communities in all sectors of Uganda’s economy including finance, education, agriculture, governance and health, creating social impact in the lives of Ugandans. These technologies are availing businesses remarkable opportunities which were previously unthinkable and improving processes to benefit clients and institutions at all levels of development. For instance, in the health sector virtual reality is having some remarkable applications in the field of medical surgeries. Likewise in the field of climate change, technologies are offering experts predictions and mitigation strategies of expected natural disasters. Big Data Analytics is equally influencing business and government agencies with smarter decision making processes to achieve targets and expectations.

Uganda’s private sector has also ventured into Block Chain technology in multiple sectors including online payment systems, international money transfer systems, land security system also referred to as cadastral management, systems for combating counterfeit medicines, copyright management system, Agri Tech businesses and cross-border transactions.

In the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Uganda’s economy is being transformed through various initiatives clearly evidenced by the visibility of traffic lights which are installed to enable pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to know when to stop, to get ready and to go. Additionally, the Uganda National Commission for UNESCO since 2021 is implementing the strengthening disaster prevention activities under the STEDPAE project (http://bitly.ws/B5TC). This program was aimed at supporting the development and integration of science evidenced artificial intelligence innovations, citizen science and gender-response actions into strategies and action plans for disaster risk reduction in schools, higher education, communities and public sector institutions in Uganda

The SWARM Summit 2023, under the theme The Future of Work, will offer great opportunities and guidance in the understanding of what technologies are used, how they are used and what solutions they provide. This will be critical to understanding the process of technology diffusion and the overall technology process of Uganda’s economy.

TMS Ruge the co-founder of Hive Colab states that “Hive Colab recently celebrated 10 years in Uganda’s tech ecosystem. We have seen the country embrace digitization for better and for worse. The Future of Work is an exploration of the turbulent state of technology and its persistent threat to workers and the known state of being. What is the future of work when a majority of jobs can either be automated or digitally consolidated? Is artificial intelligence a threat to Uganda's nascent digital economy or an accelerant in the redefinition the future of work? These are the questions we want to explore as we shake off the global shock that was Covid-19 and look towards the future.”

The summit will inform policy makers and practitioners to continuously design better policies and intervention strategies to help businesses, startups, the private and public sectors adopt best technology applications and practices in Uganda’s growing digital space. The knowledge-sharing will be a great enabler for them to drive informed national decisions that will enhance the country’s position in the global market.

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