HOW DO YOU LOOK AT THE GLASS?

The situation is never so dire that it can not be turned around, I don't think so, I know so!

A good start is to try and look at your situation from another perspective. A trusted friend would be useful.

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WELL DONE UGANDA REVENUE AUTHORITY BUT …

Over the weekend President Yoweri Museveni commissioned the new head office of the Uganda Revenue Authority, an imposing structure that is set to dominate the Nakawa skyline for some time to come. Congratulations are in order to URA for the construction of such an aesthetically appealing building, which I hope wills set the pace for other developments not only in the area but in Kampala and even Uganda as a whole. I know the pride that comes with having completed such a massive build for the initiators and implementors. The new 22-story structure has allowed the tax man to fold back all his offices from around the city back to the head office, a move they estimate will save them sh7b annually. Using simple math the sh140b will pay for itself in 20 years. The move is seen as precursor to a government move to build a ministerial compound in Bwebajja, where all ministries will be relocated sometime in the future. I have seen comments that such actions are evidence that...

OUR WOMEN AMONG THE BEST ENTREPRENEURS BUT…

A study carried out in 57 countries around the world established that Ugandan women are among the most entrepreneurial in the world. The 2018 Mastercard Index of Women’s Entrepreneurship released last week showed that one in three businesses or 33.8 percent of businesses in this country belong to women. Our women were third behind their counterparts in Ghana, 44.4 percent and Russia, 34.6 percent. Survey after survey has shown that Uganda is one of the most entrepreneurial counties in the world, so it should come as little surprise that our women are among the most entrepreneurial in the world. This does not in any way take away from their own initiative and resilience in surviving our competitive business environment. Our entrepreneurialism was forced upon us by the hard times we faced as a nation in the 1970s and 1980s, when few if any salaries could carry families through the month. For the majority of us who did not have the option of leaving the country...

LET THE UN BASE SAGA BE A LESSON TO US

I have watched with much interest as the issues of the UN base in Entebbe have played out in recent days. At the beginning of the month it was reported that the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, had signed off on a new structure, The Global Services Delivery model, that it was suggested would see Uganda losing the Regional Service Center in Entebbe (RCSE) to Nairobi. Under the new model the UN would have three key centers in Hungary, Kenya and Mexico. In response to a letter by President Yoweri Museveni, Guterres assured him that the RCSE would remain in Entebbe. Though some functions will be relocated to Nairobi in the short term, in the middle to long term he sees the role of RCSE expanding and growing in importance. The new development takes effect from 1 st July this year. According to their website the RCSE serves more than 20,000 personnel on the continent, does administration and communications support for thousands more around the world and has an...

UMEME A RECOGNISED SUCCESS BUT …

Recently the World Bank did a survey of the power utilities on the continent. Of the 39 utilities surveyed only two, in Uganda – Umeme and in Seychelles, were able to cover their operating costs and capital expenditures – maintenance and expansion of the grid. The report went on to point out that only 19 or about half of the surveyed utilities were able to meet their everyday costs like salaries. Essentially most of our power utilities on the continent are technically bankrupt. This has far reaching ramifications for the industry as a whole. When you, the client, pays your bill, Umeme then passes money up the line to pay the transmission and generation companies. If Umeme does not collect the revenues due to it or does not price the power at an appropriate rate, the pain will be felt up and down the sector. The transmission company would not be able to maintain and extend its network and the generation company would not be able to generate efficiently or build ...

OIL IS COMING BUT LET US NOT FORGET OUR GOLD

The country is operating on a time table that first oil will be seen in 2020. There is a lot of frenetic activity around building supporting infrastructure, getting investment approvals, ensuring local participation and any number of other things to ensure readiness the moment the oil starts gushing down the pipeline to the coast. And so we should. I was intrigued the other day to read in the Kenyan press how Kisumu County, just across Lake Victoria from us, has set upon an ambitious project to ensure egg and poultry meat self-sufficiency for the county within the next few years. Under the plan Kisumu County will train 100 farmers every month over the 12 month pilot period. The intended aim is to be able to satisfy the county’s demand for 25,000 broilers and 75,000 eggs daily. Whereas I would prefer that this was private sector driven deal, I like this plan for a number of reasons not least of all that it shows leadership by the county and secondly, it relies o...

SPORTS AS AN ANALOGY FOR BUSINESS

Like everybody else I know, my spirit was lifted by the success of our athletes at the World Athletics Championships last week. The diminutive Halima Nakaayi showed the heart of a lion, sprinting over the last 100m of the women’s 800m event to snatch victory from a more favoured American runner. It was so uplifting to watch. Subsequent stories about the challenges she has had to overcome to get where she is now were testament to the determination of the woman. Joshua Cheptegei’s victory, while no less inspiring, had a different quality to it. Cheptegei was the man to watch going into the event. He won previously at the Commonwealth Games last year and the in the just concluded Golden League. He was a silver medalist in the 10,000m at the last World Championships in London, pipped to the tape by the now retired Mo Farah. Cheptgei still had to battle the Kenyans and the Ethiopians all the way. But as a favourite he lived up to expectations, which sometimes is more diffic...

LOCAL CONTENT IS NOT A DONE DEAL, WE NEED TO DO MORE

This year’s “Oil & Gas Convention & Regional Logistics Expo2017” has just concluded after three days of discussion, exploration and soul searching. First oil in Uganda is expected by 2020 and this Expo among other efforts are targeted at getting our local businessmen ready to take advantage of this historical development. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the discovery and eventual exploitation of our oil resource is one of those once in a generation events, that can transform this nation, not only on a macro level but also in our individual lives. For starters at least $20b will be spent over the next three years in infrastructure development and other things that will ensure we are ready to pipe and refine our oil. During the exploration phase about $3b was spent by the international oil companies, with on three in every ten dollars being retained here. That was an exploration phase and one hopes that we have learnt enough from that period to ...

PATRICK BITATURE ... TO ROAR LIKE A SIMBA

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