Innovation met inspiration in Western Uganda last week as Hive Colab, in partnership with Google Developers Group Mbarara, proudly hosted the Mbarara Hackathon 2025, a dynamic three-day event under the theme “Building Intelligent Chatbots.” This high-energy gathering brought together developers, students, tech enthusiasts, and AI experts to co-create smart chatbot solutions aimed at solving real-world challenges.

Held in the heart of Mbarara, the hackathon offered participants not only a platform to showcase their technical skills but also a space to collaborate, learn, and build scalable solutions with real potential for impact. The event opened with interactive workshops on Natural Language Processing (NLP), chatbot architecture, and conversational AI ethics, led by top mentors and facilitators.

Over 15 teams competed head-to-head in ideation, coding sprints, and live pitching sessions, presenting chatbot prototypes that addressed local problems from healthcare and agriculture to emergency response and education. And what a competition it was!

Congratulations to Our Winning Teams:

1st Place: Firefighters – Developed a smart chatbot for emergency response, capable of quickly directing users to nearby help centers and sharing safety tips in local languages.

2nd Place: Abahingyi – Built a mental health chatbot designed to provide first-level support and link users to professional services.

3rd Place: Pathfinders – Created a chatbot that simplifies agricultural advisory services for rural farmers using voice recognition and local dialects.

While only three teams stood on the podium, every team demonstrated incredible creativity, teamwork, and commitment. From problem-solving to pitching under pressure, participants embodied the very spirit of innovation that drives Uganda’s growing tech ecosystem. The hackathon was not just a competition, it was a learning journey, a networking opportunity, and a launchpad for future collaborations. Judges and mentors shared valuable feedback with all teams, encouraging them to refine their ideas and keep building beyond the event.

To all participants, judges, sponsors, and guests, your contributions were vital in making this event a resounding success. The energy you brought to the room was contagious, and it’s that spirit that continues to propel the tech community forward. We all our partners who believe in the power of youth-led innovation.

Hive Colab is committed to empowering Uganda’s next generation of tech leaders. Stay tuned for upcoming hackathons, accelerator programs, and training opportunities as we continue to build a future where technology meets purpose.

Let’s keep the momentum going. The next big idea could be yours!