Giant search engine/tech powerhouse, Google has named Makerere University’s Assoc. Prof. Engineer Bainomugisha among the seven “Leaders to Watch” from nonprofits around the world. At Makerere, Eng. Bainomugisha is the head of the Department of Computer Science who is also leading their pioneering AirQo project.
The 2022 Leaders to Watch list appreciates rising change-makers from recent Google.org grantees who are working towards building a better world for the current and future generations.
Some of the seven leaders are solving problems with innovative tech, while others are making technology more accessible and inclusive for everyone.
Besides being recognized on the Google Search page, each leader will walk away with $30,000 for personal or professional development in addition to mentorship from senior leaders at the world’s most used search engine.
“At a time when health, climate change, equity and economic challenges are coming to a head it’s vital that we support and recognize the people leading the organizations that are tackling these challenges head-on. In our eyes, these leaders represent the next generation of philanthropic innovation,”Jacquelline Fuller, the President, Google.org said.
While commenting on this achievement, Eng. Bainomugisha lauded Google for the recognition before revealing that it is also a win for the AirQo team.
“I am honoured to be recognized as one of Google.org’s nonprofit leaders to watch for 2022. This recognition and support come at a pivotal time for AirQo as we scale up our work and make progress on our vision for clean air for all African cities. It is also a testament to the groundbreaking work that the AirQo team continues to do, not only raising awareness about air pollution and its effects but also ensuring that communities and authorities have access to air quality data to take action to reduce air pollution,” he said.
AirQo uses low-cost sensors and cloud-based AI models to monitor and forecast air quality. Bainomughsa and teammates are working to expand this project from Kampala to 10 cities in five countries across the continent.
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