PyCon Uganda 2025 (Recap): Building Code, Community, and Connection

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PyCon Uganda 2025 brought together the local and regional Python community for three days of talks, workshops, and spirited hallway conversations at Makerere University’s iconic Ivory Tower (Aug 7–9). Folks from startups, universities, and open-source projects gathered to learn, teach, and build connections from beginners attending Django Girls to engineers sharing deploy-time war stories.

Quick facts

  • Dates & venue: 7–9 August 2025, Ivory Tower, Makerere University, Kampala. 

  • Organizers / Host: Python Software Society of Uganda / local volunteers and community partners. 

  • Community tracks: Keynotes, technical talks, tutorials/workshops, Django Girls beginner workshop, lightning talks, and community sprints.

Highlights & key items

1. Strong focus on practical tooling and web backends

Several sessions on modern web tooling in Python,  from FastAPI-focused deployment patterns to lessons for building resilient APIs. Local speakers demonstrated real-world examples and ready-to-use patterns that attendees could bring back to production. 

2. Creative uses of Python (visuals & education)


Talks like “When Code Becomes Art: Building Animations with Python and Manim” showed how Python isn’t just for data and servers; it’s also a tool for visual storytelling, education, and content creation. These sessions energized creatives and educators in the room. 

3. Keynotes that set tone and strategy


Keynote talks framed community growth, open-source contribution, and how to scale learning in African contexts. The closing keynote and plenary sessions emphasized taking Python skills from prototypes to products and the role of mentorship and local communities in that journey. 



4. Learning & inclusion: Django Girls and beginner-first workshops


A one-day Django Girls workshop ran as part of the conference, giving women and beginners a hands-on path to build and ship their first web app a meaningful way to grow the local talent pipeline.

5. Community & sponsor support


Organizers showcased local sponsors and partners who supported the event, enabling reasonable ticket pricing (student and general tiers) and community programs like financial aid/discounts. The sponsor wall and community booths created opportunities for hiring, collaboration, and funding conversations. 


Note: this is a curated snapshot of notable talks and demos that people were still buzzing about afterward.


  •  FastAPI in Production: practical patterns for async endpoints, validation, and deploy-time gotchas. (Ssali Jonathan). 

  •  Animations with Manim:  using Python scripts to generate educational and artistic animations (Daniel Mwiine). 

  •  Quarto for Reproducible Reports: data storytelling and reproducible docs shown in a hands-on session (attendee posts noted Quarto demos).

  •  Keynote: Scaling Open Source & Local Communities: big-picture guidance on growing contributors and turning community projects into sustainable efforts. 

What people were excited about (community buzz)

  • Practical, actionable talks rather than only theory, sessions you could apply tomorrow. 

  • The return of Makerere’s Ivory Tower as a central, symbolic venue for knowledge exchange.

  • The energy around beginner programs (Django Girls) and lightning talks that let new voices be heard.

Top takeaways: what to apply after the event

1. Ship small, ship often. Several speakers reinforced the value of small iterations, short feedback loops, and automating testing/deploys to reduce risk.

2. Tooling matters: adopting modern frameworks (FastAPI, ASGI patterns, reproducible docs like Quarto) speeds development and improves maintainability. 

3. Documentation and reproducibility sell your work. Using reproducible notebooks/docs makes it easier to collaborate and onboard contributors. 

4. Community is the multiplier. Mentorship programs, workshops for beginners, and local meetups are the most reliable paths to growing local talent and open-source contributions. Attend, contribute, and volunteer. 

5. Diversity fuels creativity. Encouraging a wide range of speakers (from students to senior engineers) led to richer conversations and more practical learning opportunities.

Photos, recordings & follow-up

Many session recaps and photos were shared on PyCon Uganda’s social channels and community blogs; official slides and videos were being collected and shared after the conference by organizers and volunteers. If you missed a talk, check the event feed and community posts for uploads. 


Link to more photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Hd4wKjFrhJXm7h2v8
Location: Kampala, Uganda

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