In many parts of the world, innovation thrives not in high-tech labs but in small workshops, community hubs, and local maker spaces. In East Africa, grassroots innovators are designing life-changing solutions—from low-cost evaporative cooling devices for vegetable preservation to off-grid chicken brooder for poultry farmers. But a crucial gap remains: digitalization.
To bridge this gap, the Design for Second Life Innovations project—sponsored by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Samsung Electronics—hosted two ICT Creative Capacity Building (CCB) Workshops in early 2025. Held in Arusha, Tanzania, and Arua, Uganda, the workshops empowered local innovators by integrating digital tools, sensors, and microcontrollers into their prototypes.
But what happens when you hand a local innovator an Arduino microcontroller or introduce them to open-source repositories for coding assistance? The results were nothing short of transformational.
The challenge: innovation without digital tools
MIT D-Lab’s Creative Capacity Building (CCB) methodology has long helped communities design and build their own technologies to address problems that they encounter. However, with limited digital literacy, innovators may frame challenges within the constraints of analog solutions, narrowing the scope of opportunities they can explore. By integrating digital tools, they can expand their problem-solving potential, unlocking new possibilities for automation, scalability, and impact.
Here’s why digitalization matters:
- A motorbike alarm system can prevent motorcycle theft becomes more effective with a Bluetooth-enabled security trigger.
- A gas usage and leak detector can provide real-time mobile alerts instead of relying on manual observation.
- A flood warning system can integrate water level sensors for automatic community alerts.
Despite these possibilities, many local innovators lack technical mentorship, access to digital tools, and confidence in technology adoption. That’s where MIT D-Lab's Design for Second Life Innovations project comes in.
The workshops: a two-week hands-on journey
From January to February 2025, two intensive two-week workshops—one at Twende Innovation Center in Tanzania and another at Christus Center in Uganda—brought together 55 participants, including experienced local makers and first-time digital learners.
Most participants in Tanzania were between the ages of 14 and 18, while in Uganda, the age range was 17 to 35. In Tanzania, many participants were enrolled in public schools, whereas in Uganda, the majority had secondary school as their highest level of education.
These workshops were made possible by local partners:
- Kulika Uganda
- Youth Social Advocacy Team (YSAT) in Uganda
- Twende in Tanzania
Week 1: Learning the Basics & Digital Adaptation
- Introduction to ICT & Electronics – Learning Arduino, sensors, and microcontrollers from scratch
- Smartphones as digital controllers – Using free, open-source apps to connect with prototypes
- Digitalizing CCB prototypes – Integrating sensors, motors, and automation into existing innovations
- Showcasing & feedback – Participants presented their digitized solutions to mentors and community leaders
Week 2: Refining & Enhancing Digital Prototypes
- Testing & debugging – Fine-tuning circuits and software
- Finalizing ICT-integrated solutions – Preparing working prototypes
- Market Testing – Participants presented their digitized solutions and initial business models to users in the market
- Unlike conventional tech bootcamps, these workshops focused on building solutions with immediate impact.
Prototypes that matter: from ideas to working solutions
By the end of the workshops, participants had developed and refined real-world solutions, integrating digital tools for the first time.
Tanzania’s standout innovations (Twende innovation center)
Gas Alarm System (Gesi Fi) – Alerts users through a mobile app before their LPG runs out, detects leaks, and allows remote gas ordering.
Fire and Flood Detection System – Uses digital sensors to monitor smoke and water levels, providing early warnings to at-risk communities such as schools, businesses, and homes. Mobile app provides alerts directly to the user
Uganda’s breakthrough solutions (Kulika & YSAT)
Motorbike Theft Alarm – A Bluetooth-enabled security system that activates lights and sounds when tampered with.
Door Security Alert System – A motion-detection alarm that alerts shop owners via sound and SMS notifications, improving safety in small businesses.
Each prototype demonstrated the power of integrating digital tools into local innovations.
Lessons learned: the digitalization roadblocks
Despite the workshop’s success, innovators still face barriers to fully adopting digital solutions:
- Lack of local tech mentors – Many participants need ongoing support to refine their prototypes.
- Infrastructure challenges – Travel distances and unreliable internet access slowed progress.
- Gender disparities – Women engaged less actively in the workshops, raising the need for women-focused tech training.
- Limited funding – Access to affordable electronic components remains a challenge for many innovators.
Solving these challenges will require a sustained effort—not just from MIT D-Lab, but from governments, NGOs, and the private sector.
Scaling grassroots digital innovation
Where do we go from here?
- Local NGOs like Kulika, YSAT, and Twende will provide continued mentorship.
- MIT D-Lab is exploring follow-up workshops to deepen digital skills training.
- Partnerships with tech donors can help provide much-needed hardware and internet access.
- Building sustainability by working with more local experts and creating pathways for more to gain expertise in digital skills.
The potential is immense. A single workshop transformed participants’ perceptions of what’s possible with digital tools. Now, the challenge is scaling this impact so more grassroots innovators can turn their ideas into digitally-enabled, real-world solutions. In Uganda, we met Kwaje Steven, a South Sudanese lecturer in electronics who has been supporting teams like the Motorcycle Alarm System team since last year. His continued mentorship and teaching has been transformative for teams that he can teach in languages like Kakwa and Arabic and advise them on career paths in Uganda regarding ICT. Many participants in Uganda remarked that they now feel empowered to teach others and continue this cycle of learning.
Let’s make digital innovation truly inclusive—one local innovator at a time!
More information
Contact
Heewon Lee, MIT D-Lab Lecturer and Research Associate
Dan Sweeney, MIT D-Lab Research Scientist