India and the UAE: A vision for global partnerships

India and the UAE: A vision for global partnerships

Earlier this year, I visited Uganda's National ICT Innovation Hub to learn about efforts being made to build the start-up ecosystem in the East African nation. What I witnessed was a flourishing, albeit nascent, environment of ambitious innovators and entrepreneurs who were driven by a desire to create indigenous technological solutions to solve Uganda’s problems.

While they lack neither the will, nor the skill, what was apparent to me was the lack of funding, mentorship and digital architectural support are big roadblocks to their success. This, not handouts, would be the best passport out of poverty for many.

The start-up ecosystem I witnessed in Uganda reminded me of India in the early 2000s, where ambitions were limitless, but means to achieve them restricted. Since then, with an institutional, infrastructural and incentive-led impetus, India has emerged as the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world. This would not have been possible had it not been backed by a dynamic and vibrant funding culture.

Uganda, like several other emerging economies, have extremely talented and tenacious young populations who are optimistic about their future, deeply aspirational and keen to harness technology for the betterment of their communities. Providing institutional support and funding mechanisms to keep this