Creating solutions to joblessness

They are not just young, but business minded, ambitious and intelligent. Six Ugandans without the money to start up enterprises were shortlisted from over 1000 applicants who competed for the Inspire Africa Challenge - a reality show with a prize of $50,000 (about Shs120,000,000).

Alex Atwine’s (29)
His business idea: an upscale teahouse - the first of its kind in Uganda offering a wide range of premium tea, coffee, pastries and meals with a gift shop. This is targeting trendy savvy Ugandans and tourists willing to part with the stated value in exchange for the products and services. As a Business Administration graduate of Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi with a Master’s Degree from the University of Thomas, Minnesota in USA. Atwine has travelled to more than eight countries for work and study. If he wins the money, his business will support about 50 people.

Emmanuel Gonahasa (29)
A Social Work and Administration graduate of Makerere University is a go-getter running the Gonahasa Foundation— a business that deals in Micro level commercial farming. Gonahasa provides farmers with interest free loans to produce beans, maize, groundnuts, soya beans, cocoa and chilli in Eastern Uganda. When the crops yield, Gonahasa buys the products, providing ready market for the farmers. He has also supported livestock farming in over 150 households in the East to start up piggery units. He hopes to reduce the jobless population by at least 200; among them farmers, drivers and experts in agri-busniess.

Lucy Asiimwe (31)
The Orient bank employee is not deterred by her marriage to Bruce Rukundo to crave success. She intends to add value to Irish potato by processing it for the local and foreign markets. “I would like to peel, clean, dry and mash Irish potatoes, package them for the local and international market to ensure food security,” she says. This flour is easy to prepare and additives can be put to make it more nutritious for infants, the sick and elderly. It is also very convenient for today’s working class—taking only 10 minutes before it is ready to eat.
This idea if well executed would boost the economy’s earnings since Uganda is considered a food basket internationally. This will avail job opportinites in exporting, transporting and growing irish potatoes.

Davis Musinguzi (25).
The Medical Concierge - his business idea, seeks to provide an on-call service of the best medical professionals to provide accessible, affordable and quality health care services no matter the place and time. Clients to sign up for the service at an annual premium for routine checks and medicine. The beauty is in the access to medical services where the doctor looks for the patient, not the routine of patients making long queues in hospitals.This, he hopes will employ idle and jobless medicine graduates.Davis not only has this idea on paper, but also runs a 24 hour doctors-on -call -medical service while consulting for UNICEF in addition to running a public speaking company.

Daphne Muwonge Kisuze(28 )
Meet this electrical engineer who has switched to business. Her idea: starting up an extensive fish farm. With challenges of declining quantities of fish in our lakes, jobless youth, poverty and the prolonged drought seasons, Muwonge believes that setting up an extensive fish farm is one way out from combing streets for jobs. While managing St Francis College Buloba— a family business, she has acquired management skills.This business, she says, has ready market— locally and internationally. “This is a new business that has not yet faced the challenge of competition, an all-season business and above all, an opportunity of fishermen and many casual labourers to earn some extra shillings,” she says.

Manuela Pacutho
The 26-year-old children’s creative coordinator at Watoto Children’s Church is thinking big. Her idea: setting up a children’s experimental centre. She argues that children need more practical lessons than theory work. She thinks will make nursery school teachers more creative in designing up-to-class children programs. Not only will they earn more but also nurture young creative minds.

fnalubega@ug.nationmedia.com