A group of Makerere University students is changing the manner in which students have their meals on campus. The group of four has developed a mobile app that gives students easy access to a variety of meal options they can have on campus.
The team comprising Isaac Buyungo (BSc. Agricultural Engineering), David Ssengaaga (BSc. Mechanical Engineering), Martha Nabaggala (BSc. Agricultural Engineering), and Maxwell Kabateraine (BSc. Agricultural Engineering) is the brainchild behind the app “Campus Foods.” This app is gaining popularity among Makerere’s student body for its user-friendly interface and seamless handset integration, which is redefining the campus dining experience.
The Campus Foods app was developed with the aim of streamlining how students access affordable meals from their preferred local eateries that are located within the campus vicinity. A key feature of Campus Foods is its collaborations with established on-campus restaurants, ensuring that students have a variety of meal options at different price points.
The app also features budget-friendly meals that have been pre-negotiated by the Campus Foods team, giving students discounts that they would otherwise have no access to while delivering the same quality meals. Kabateraine, who also serves in the capacity of marketing manager, elaborated on the team’s gains from the app: “Our innovation benefits us through revenue-sharing agreements with partner restaurants and earning a percentage of each transaction.”
Developed with a keen understanding of the struggle that students go through to find cost-effective food options within the campus limits, the product has four integral stakeholders: the students (users), partner restaurants, dedicated delivery personnel, and the app development team.
Kabateraine adds that initial feedback from users, mainly students, is promising, underscoring the meals’ quality and affordability. As the team fine-tunes the app, they have a vision of extending the service beyond the campus, encompassing other universities and potentially areas that are within the vicinity of the university.
“To fellow innovators in academia, remember that impactful ideas solve real problems. Stay committed, collaborate effectively, and remain open to feedback and iteration. Your innovation can genuinely impact lives,” Kabateraine added. The “Campus Foods” app is available for download on the Google Play Store.
