About
The Center for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Skilling
A New Wave Technologies initiative, built on twenty years of technology practice and pointed squarely at the young people furthest from a workshop.
Why we exist
Mission & Vision
Mission
Empower Ugandan youth through digital skills development, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Vision
A Uganda where a young person’s postcode does not determine whether their idea gets built.
CITES was formed because the constraint in rural Uganda is not talent and it is not curiosity — it is access. A table, a set of components, a mentor who has done it before, and an audience that takes the result seriously. The centre supplies those four things, and then gets out of the way.
Twenty years in
How the centre came about
The Center for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Skilling (CITES) grew out of a recognition that innovation is not limited by geography. Across Uganda, young people have ideas, creativity and the ability to develop practical solutions to challenges in their communities. However, many young innovators, particularly those in rural and underserved communities, do not have access to the tools, skills, mentors, platforms and opportunities they need to turn their ideas into working solutions.
Built on the technology practice of New Wave Technologies, CITES was established to help bridge this gap. The Centre brings together digital skills, technology, innovation, making and entrepreneurship to create opportunities for young people to learn, experiment, build and share their ideas.
CITES is founded on the belief that a young person’s location should not determine whether their idea gets an opportunity to grow. Rather than waiting for innovation to happen only in major towns or established technology spaces, the Centre seeks to take skills, mentorship and practical innovation opportunities closer to the communities where young people live.
2006
New Wave Technologies is founded
A Kampala technology practice begins the work that becomes twenty years of unique technology solutions.
2014
Skilling becomes part of the work
Training and capacity-building grow out of client delivery, first with partners and then in schools.
2025
CITES is established
The skilling, innovation and enterprise work is given its own name, its own home in Bukoto and its own mandate.
2026
The inaugural Grassroots Innovation Camp & Awards
Nankandulo Sub-County, Kamuli District — the first edition of a model designed to be repeated across Uganda.
A simple challenge
Talent exists, but access is not equal.
For many young people, especially in rural communities, the barriers are not a lack of curiosity or creativity. They may lack access to a workspace, components and materials, experienced mentors, digital tools, or an audience that can see and support what they have created.
CITES therefore provides a platform where young people can develop practical skills, explore ideas, build prototypes, solve community problems and begin connecting their innovations to wider opportunities.
Momentum
The Centre in numbers
20
Years of New Wave Technologies practice
6–16
Ages served by the inaugural camp
120+
Young innovators expected
TBC
4
Award categories, three places each
What we expect it to change
Awareness
Increased appreciation of innovation among rural youth.
Discovery
Identification of promising grassroots solutions to local challenges.
Confidence
Enhanced creativity and problem-solving among participants.
A repeatable model
Something other districts can run, not a one-off event.
Partnerships
Strengthened support for youth innovation and entrepreneurship.
Who we work with
Partners
CITES works with government agencies, development partners, educational institutions, private-sector organisations, media houses and community leaders.
Partner A
Partner A
Partner A
Partner A
Partner A
Financial
Sponsorship
Tiered support for the camp, the awards and the outreach that feeds them.
Practical
In-kind
Tents, sound, internet, transport, printing, prizes, learning materials, mentorship.
Expertise
Mentorship & media
Technical expertise, judging, coverage and publicity for the young people who exhibit.
Two doors, one story