Google’s G-Uganda event in Kampala kicks off today (September 8, 2011), bringing together hundreds of business people, tech savvy entrepreneurs, web developers and journalists at a web and mobile conference at the Sheraton Kampala. Participants will discuss the future of online business, web application development, and receive training on Google’s products. G-Uganda will feature some of Google’s best business managers, engineers, product managers, and leadership who will be visiting Uganda from around the globe.
The conference, themed ‘Get Online and Grow your Digital Strategy’ confirms Google's commitment to driving the web forward in Uganda, and highlights the entrepreneurial opportunities presented by the Internet. Business tracks will demonstrate the benefits of the Internet and the mobile web for boosting businesesses of all sizes. Developer attendees will have the chance to explore Google’s open source technologies through a combination of tech talks, breakout sessions and codelabs run by Googlers. Google tools for the development of the news industry in Uganda will also be highlighted, through tailor-made workshops for journalists and news webmasters.
Key among the speakers will be Nelson Mattos, Vice President for Engineering and Products, Europe Middle East and Africa. Ham Namakajjo, Country Manager, Google Uganda and Joe Mucheru, Lead for Google Sub Saharan Africa. The conference content will range from business technologies such as website optimisation, online advertising, and Google Maps, to developer technologies like Android, mobile development and AppEngine.
Commenting on the event, Ham Namakajjo, Google Lead for Uganda, said, “We’re delighted to bring G-Uganda back for the second year running. 500 Ugandan attendees, like Google, see that the internet holds huge potential for this country. Our team will be learning about the Ugandan landscape from innovative local tech, business and media communities, at the same time as sharing their online expertise. We want to create a vibrant internet environment in Uganda, because the internet offers something for everyone, whether to boost your business or to help you in your everyday life.”
This conference is the latest in a series of interactive forums and tech days that Google has been holding across Africa since the start of 2010, to promote innovation and business in the region. To learn more about the conference, visit the G-Uganda website. Google’s next developer and entrepreneur event will take place in Nairobi from 12th to 13th September 2011.
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's mission in Africa is to make the internet an integral part of every day life in Africa, by increasing it's relevance and usefulness, eliminating access barriers for potential users, and developing products that are meaningful for the countries in the region. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.
