Africa: Uganda’s Twave Makes It to Startup List for Qualcomm Make in Africa 2026

Johannesburg — Uganda’s TWave Ltd , who have pioneered an automated, solar-powered fish feeding system that optimizes aquaculture productivity, have been selected as one of 10 startups for the fourth year of the Qualcomm Make in Africa Mentorship Program.

For this year’s edition of the one-of-a-kind equity-free African mentorship program, 10 early-stage startups were chosen from a record number of over 1,200 applications from over 45 African countries, based on their ability to apply advanced connectivity and processing technologies to innovative end-to-end systems solutions. The industries represented by the startups include agriculture, assistive technology, smart cities and utilities, smart infrastructure, EV transportation, and education.

This initiative is part of the Qualcomm Africa Innovation Platform, which supports the development of Africa’s deep-technology ecosystem. It provides mentorship and training programs, with a focus on advanced connectivity and processing technologies such as Edge AI/ML, compute, IoT, and Qualcomm’s AI development platform from Arduino.

“With this fourth edition, Qualcomm reaffirms its commitment to empowering Africa’s deep-technology ecosystem through mentorship, training, and IP generation initiatives,” an official said in a statement.

At the end of the mentorship cycle, startups will be eligible for the Social Impact Fund through Qualcomm for Good, supporting societal and market impact through wireless technology. All participants will also receive a $5,000 stipend upon successful program completion. Finally, those who file patents during the program can claim up to $5,000 in filing fee reimbursements.

“This year’s startups’ achievements are a powerful testament to Africa’s flourishing innovation ecosystem,” said Wassim Chourbaji, President, Middle East and Africa, and Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Europe, Middle East and Africa at Qualcomm.

“Four years into Qualcomm Make in Africa, what stands out is not only the growing number of applications we receive, but the increasing sophistication of the solutions being built. These startups are pushing the boundaries of what technologies such as Edge AI and 5G can enable and how they can be deployed at scale across the continent. Qualcomm is proud to support and help guide this next wave of African high-tech innovation, from early design and product development to real-world commercialization, and I look forward to seeing where these startups go next.”

Reflecting the program’s relevance across the continent, the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) returns as a partner for the fourth consecutive year.

“The ATU’s key mandate is to ensure that Africa’s telecommunications ecosystem serves Africa’s people. Qualcomm Make in Africa embodies that same principle by putting cutting-edge technology directly in the hands of African innovators to solve African challenges. Having seen firsthand the quality of the startups this program produces, returning as a partner in 2026 was not a question of if, but of how we could deepen our contribution. We look forward to seeing this cohort carry that work forward,” said Secretary General John Omo.

The 2026 cohort includes the following startups :

Amperra Charging Company (Namibia): AI-driven, grid-adaptive smart EV charging platform designed to enable scalable electric mobility across Africa

Anatsor Ltd (Nigeria): Integrated digital poultry management system that improves productivity, health tracking, and farm efficiency

D-Olivette Labs (Nigeria): Bio-intelligence platform delivering data-driven insights for sustainable and efficient agricultural production

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