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THE YOUTHS HAVE POTENTIAL TO CREATE SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES

 At a recent stakeholders meeting Equity Bank was praised by the youths for enabling them to start businesses. The youths were provided with free financial literacy training and access to loans. In a nation where over 70% of the population is below 30 years , youth unemployment is one of the most pressing issues in the country. The stereotypes such as age and gender can no longer hold as bottlenecks to entrepreneurship. With the right mindset and training any individual can start up a business and it succeeds. It should be noted that some of the leading entrepreneurs in the world never reached university and are employing graduates. On a good note Uganda is credited as one of the most enterprising countries in the world. We should celebrate this trait by encouraging more youths to start up businesses. The dominant thought among most of the youths is to sell off their property such as land and go to the Middle East. This may not be bad. The question is why is it that other people fr...
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SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM FINANCIAL GOALS

 It is the desire of every person to achieve their financial goals. The question is why is it a tall order for most of us.  That is when we need to go back to the drawing board. It is said that Rome was not built in one day. Short term financial goals are those goals that one strives to achieve within a day, week, month up to one year. Long term financial goals are those goals that one strives to achieve beyond one year. The understanding of this difference is financially liberating because it helps a person to plan accordingly and set meaningful and realistic goals. Why is the gambling industry thriving in Uganda? It is because over 70% of the population is below 30years and this age group is dominated by the desire to get instant wealth and abnormal gains in a short period of time. We live in a generation that undermines small coins and not knowing that if saved consistently these coins can achieve so much. The failure to grasp the concept of short term and long term goals e...
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FINANCIAL LITERACY IS AN INNER GAME

 There is no doubt every person that is alive wants to improve their financial circumstances. There are so many ways to achieving financial freedom. Among these strategies are ones that are disastrous. A few years back there was a company that duped many Ugandans and they lost their hard earned money. What is so hurting is that some people in their retirement used their retirement funds. In the Daily Monitor of 24th May 2025 it was reported that a number of youths were addicted to gambling to the extent that some students up to university level used their tuition to gamble in the hope for instant returns. Just a few years ago there was an online women investment club where women were implored to save regularly and in the end the investment club vanished. The above cases are a pointer that when dealing with money issues caution is important. Not every glaring opportunity is ours. In the Daily Monitor report it was shared that some individuals even mortgage their houses during sports...
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WHY NETWORKING IS NO LONGER A LUXURY FOR EVERY ONE

 Recently I met a young entrepreneur who pointed out to me that his business was struggling. I quickly asked him if he belonged to any group. He told me no. This is where problems in life start from. No man is an island. Did we know that the most successful entrepreneurs in Kampala belong to a group? The question is why would rich people come together yet they have money which solves most of the society's problems. The wealthy people are the first to subscribe to clubs such as Rotary International and Lion's Club. They are able to share ideas and seek help where they need it. Manufacturers in Uganda belong to Uganda Manufacturers Association and Banks belong to Uganda Bankers Association.  I have interacted with so many youths especially at university where some assert that they do not require to belong to any group. Many after university lectures just go back to their hostels and relax. In terms of social capital they take little time to invest in building social networks. Th...
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WHY EVERY YOUTH SHOULD EMBRACE BANKING

 At a recent financial literacy training session I asked the trainees present whether they possessed bank accounts. To my surprise half of the class did not have bank accounts. The lesson is that in today's fast changing world financial literacy is not an option but rather should be seen as a lifestyle. Banking has been democratized thanks to technology. No one should be left behind. Today the phone is the new bank and all bank transactions can be done on the phone such as checking balance and even borrowing on phone.  For a long time youths or customers asserted that there are longlines in banks but this is no longer the case with the introduction of digital banking and agency baking. Today one can bank close to their home and this reduces time and costs. The myth that one requires large sums of money no longer holds .This is because a customer can deposit as low as 5000/= at Equity Bank. In my journey as a banker and financial literacy trainer I have seen so many lives chang...
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FINANCIAL LITERACY IS VERY CRITICAL IN ADDRESSING YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN UGANDA

 Over 70% of Ugandans are below the 30 years. Universities graduate over 400,000 students per year. A MasterCard Foundation report recently showed that over 12% of the graduates are unemployed. A recent media article showed that over 50,000 university graduates were boda boda cyclists. This is not to undermine the role that boda bodas play in enhancing the lives of the youths. The key message is that the challenge of youth unemployment needs to be  addressed. The government has played a critical role in providing opportunities for the young people in  terms of programs such as Youth Livelihood programs and Parish Development Model among others. There are so many development partners that are skilling youths and indeed these are steps in the right direction. Commercial banks such as Equity Bank have enhanced the lives of many youths through providing free financial literacy training and access to affordable loans. As a financial literacy trainer/coach for the past 5 years ...
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OUR DREAMS ARE VALID

 I once read a statement from a great Ugandan Coach which stated that our dreams are valid . I want to give some insights to this statement. As a Coach, mentor and financial literacy trainer I have spent the last 5 years in the field of training youths across Uganda . I am always grateful for the lessons and experiences that I have picked up along the way. I should say that Uganda's youths possess a lot of untapped potential. I should also emphasized that this potential requires mentorship to be mined. In mentoring various university students my attention has always been the kind of statements that they make about the dreams for the future . Where as there are some youths who believe in the beauty of their dreams, I can say confidently that I have met countless youths who are either not dreaming enough or fear to dream. There is this particular youth who asserted that he did not require financial literacy training because he was still studying. In trying to analyze his point of vi...
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