Wikipedia

Draft:Innocent Kawooya

  • Comment: This reads like a resume, and most of this seems to support an article about HiPipo. AngusW🐶🐶F (bark • sniff) 18:53, 16 May 2022 (UTC)


Innocent Kawooya
Born1988-01-30
Masaka District
NationalityUgandan
CitizenshipUganda
EducationVictoria Nursery schools, Molly and Paul Primary school,

St. Henry Kitovu(O-Level),
St. Mark Namagooma (A-level),
Sikkam Manipal University (Bachelor of science in Information Technology),
Harvard University (Professional Leadership certificate).

Wharton University of Pennsylvania
OccupationComputer Programmer & FinTech Financial inclusion specialist
OrganizationHiPipo Foundation
Known forFinTech and financial inclusion, Internet entrepreneurship, film production and Music & Awards.
Notable workHiPipo Music Awards, Co-directed and co-produced Life of a Champion movie, HiPipo Foundation, 40 Days 40 Fintechs. The Digital Impact Awards Africa
TitleCEO, HiPipo
Children3
Parents
  • Anthony Kalule (father)
  • Florence Namatovu Kalule (mother)
AwardsCEO of the Year 2021 to 2022 by TIG Network Afrika
Websitehttps://www.innocentkawooya.com/

Innocent Kawooya (Born 30 January 1988) is a Ugandan corporate executive, computer programmer, and a financial inclusion expert.[1][2][3] He is the co-founder and CEO for the HiPipo.[4][1][5][6][7][8] He is the CEO of The Digital Impact Awards Africa.[9] He is serving as a co-chair on the international Mojaloop Community Council.[2][10][11]

Personal life and education edit

Kawooya was born in Masaka District in 1998 to Anthony Kalule (a head teacher) and Florence Namatovu Kalule (a retired senior woman).[2][12] He is the second born among his three children.[2] He is a father to three girls.[2]

Kawooya studied his primary level education at Victory nursery School and also at Molly & Paul Primary School in 2001.[2][12] He completed his O-Level studies at St. Henry's College Kitovu (SHACK) in 2005.[2] He completed his A-Level education at St. Mark’s College Namagooma (SMACON) in 2007.[2][3] Kawooya graduated with a Bachelor of science in Information technology from Sikkim Manipal University in Kampala.[2] He attained a Professional Leadership Certificate from Harvard University.[2][12]

Career and work experience edit

Kawooya served as junior lecturer for four years at the Makerere University College of Humanities and Social Sciences.[2] He served as an ICT tutorial Assistant at the Faculty of social sciences at Makerere University.[3]

In 2005, Kawooya co-founded HiPipo with John Mark Ssebunya.[12] In 2009, Kawooya became the CEO for HiPipo.[1][2] And under his leadership awards were intiated and these include; HiPipo Music Awards in 2012 and the Digital Impact Awards Africa (DIAA) in 2013.[7][13][3][14] Other initiatives under his leadership include; 40-Days 40-FinTechs, the Women-in-FinTech Hackathon, Women-in-FinTech Summit , Women-in-FinTech Incubator and FinTech Landscape Exhibition. They were funded by the Bill and Mellinda Gates Foundation since 2019.[3][2][15] Kawooya is the CEO of The Digital Impact Awards Africa.[9][16]

In 2019, Kawooya was the manager for Golola Moses and he accompaned Golola to present his World kickboxing Federation champion belt to the Jacob Oulanyah.[17]

In 2020, Kawooya was elected as the co-chairperson of the International Open Foundation Mojaloop Community Council a position he served in for one year.[2] In 2023, he was elected as the co-chair for theinternational open-source foundation Mojaloop Community Council making him the first Ugandan to sit on the Mojaloop's governing community.[10][11][18]

In 2021, Kawooya was a script writer, co-directed and co-produced the 'Life of a Champion' movie staring Golola Moses and it was the first Ugandan produced film to be streamed on Amazon Prime. He collaborated with other companies to produce that included; NG Films, Koncepts and Sakyas, MET Media, Owaraga Still and Motion, Wakaliwood, and Decent Africa [2][15][12][3]

In 2021, Kawooya stood as an independent candidate during the 2021 Kampala City Lord Mayor Elections.[19][2][15] [20][21] The candidates included; Ben Lule, Erias Lukwago(FDC candidate), Nabilah Naggayi Sempala (NUP candidate), Charles James Ssenkubuge (Democratic Party candidate), Jose Chameleone, Ragga Dee among other candidates.[22][23][20][24] Erias Lukwago retained his Lord Mayor seat for Kampala in 2021 after he got 194,592 votes and Kawooya got 762 votes.[25]

In 2022, Kawooya was a mentor for the women FinTech developers during The 2022 Women in FinTech Hackathon that took place in Kampala. During the Hackathon, Kawooya told the participants to develop fintech solutions that revolved around the mobile ecosystem as it was growing fast and that Mobile Network Operators were introducing mobile money on social media platforms and had started enabling their customers to interact with Airtificial Intelligence.[26][27][28][29] He informed the hackthon participants that they could use the Mojaloop to develop globally accepted secure and interoperable payment systems.[30]

In July 2023, Kawooya was a mentor for the 2023 FinTech Lanscape Exhibition that was held in Kampala.[31]

In 2024, Kawooya was appointed as the chairperson of the Bank of Uganda's Promote Gender Inclusive Finance Working Group as part of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy from 2023 to 2028.[32][33]

Awards and recognitions edit

  • CEO of the Year 2021 to 2022 by TIG Network Afrika.[2]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Open up digital platforms to drive financial inclusion - experts". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Kyazze, Richard (2022-03-10). "Kawooya: Ugandan CEO ready to champion digital financial inclusion in Africa". The Observer - Uganda. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Reporter, C. E. O. (2022-11-25). "Meet Innocent Kawooya: A Ugandan Youth behind Digital and Financial Inclusion, Music, Arts and Women Empowerment". CEO East Africa. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  4. ^ Oluwole, Victor (2022-10-24). "Ugandan fintech Hipipo ranked among the world's Top 20 companies escalating innovation". Business Insider Africa. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  5. ^ "Museveni to grace Africa's digital awards". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  6. ^ "Informal sector ripe ground for fintechs, experts say". Bukedde. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  7. ^ a b "Ugandan digital financial company ranked among world's top 20 in innovation". Monitor. 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  8. ^ "HiPipo CEO Innocent Kawooya: The future of fintech is multiple channel access". The East African. 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  9. ^ a b "Companies tipped on partnerships to boost digital impact". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  10. ^ a b REPORTER, OUR (2023-01-10). "Uganda's Kawooya elected chair of Mojaloop Community Council". The Observer - Uganda. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  11. ^ a b Foundation, Mojaloop (2023-01-10). "Uganda's Kawooya elected chair of Mojaloop Community Council". Mojaloop. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  12. ^ a b c d e Kimbowa, Joseph (2022-06-08). "Kawooya's leadership transformed the East African Music industry through digitization". The Observer - Uganda. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  13. ^ "Suspension of cross-network mobile money service continues". Monitor. 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  14. ^ Independent, The (2017-11-04). "Nominations for 6th HiPipo Music Awards kickoff". The Independent Uganda. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  15. ^ a b c SERUGO, GEOFREY (2023-10-21). "Kawooya, tech guru championing financial inclusion in East Africa". The Observer - Uganda. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  16. ^ "Morning At NTV – HiPipo Foundation | Include Everyone". 2020-05-06. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  17. ^ "Deputy Speaker Oulanyah hosts champion Golola". Monitor. 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  18. ^ Foundation, Mojaloop (2022-03-10). "Kawooya: Ugandan CEO Ready to Champion Digital Financial Inclusion in Africa". Mojaloop. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  19. ^ "DP's Lord Mayorship candidate misses out on nomination". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  20. ^ a b "10 eye Lord Mayor Lukwago's job". Monitor. 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  21. ^ "IDEATION CORNER: EPISODE 11: Kawooya Joined the Lord Mayoral Race to Create a Smart Digital City". ChimpReports. 2021-06-06. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  22. ^ "EC apologizes for issuing similar electoral symbols to independents". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  23. ^ Ssejjombwe, Isaac (2021-01-20). "Jose Chameleone casts his vote – Sqoop – Get Uganda entertainment news, celebrity gossip, videos and photos". Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  24. ^ sqoopadmin (2021-01-13). "My Music will play a huge role in winning mayoral race – Jose Chameleone – Sqoop – Get Uganda entertainment news, celebrity gossip, videos and photos". Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  25. ^ "Lukwago retains Kampala Lord Mayor seat". Monitor. 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  26. ^ "Developers advised to make use of the ever-growing mobile ecosystem". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  27. ^ "Women in FinTech Hackathon: 20 teams shortlisted for finals". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  28. ^ "Women in FinTech winner team to receive sh38m today". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  29. ^ "2022 women fintech hackathon ends". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  30. ^ "Women in FinTech get product management skills". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  31. ^ "2023 FinTech Landscape Exhibition for Thursday". New Vision. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  32. ^ Writer, The Publicist (2024-03-25). "Fintech Maven Innocent Kawooya appointed Chairperson of BOU Gender Inclusive Finance Working Group". Publicist East Africa. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  33. ^ Albert, Kikonyogo Douglas (2024-03-22). "Innocent Kawooya appointed BoU Gender Inclusive Initiatives Chair". Techjaja. Retrieved 2024-05-16.

External links edit

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