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THE LINK BETWEEN VISION AND FINANCIAL ADVANCEMENT

 As personal finance coach one of the most common questions that Iam asked is, how can one improve their finances? I should attest that I do not have all answers to this question. It is a noble question. As a nation we are grappling with means of survival. It is tough to survive but then there must be a solution to this dilemma. During the lock down there were two cases of young men who killed themselves because they could not cope up with life. Financial struggles have contributed to crime and mental health. Today Uganda is not a safe place simply because young people are looking for ways of survival. I have witnessed market vendors who do not earn a lot and have been able to build houses and pay school fees with their meagre income. On the contrary we have witnessed international celebrities who had a lot of money and become bankrupt. What is the missing link? I think it is related to vision. Without a clear vision for our finances we are likely to become broke in the long run. Toda
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WHY IS MONEY AN EMOTIONAL SUBJECT IN OUR SOCIETY?

 I once asked a certain youth whether he had an account in the bank. The look on his face revealed to me that he was not interested in giving me an answer. I have observed that among the least talked about topics is money. For most groups I have interacted with the most common topics include football and politics. In fact some time  deaths have been caused by money issues. Money deficits have caused depression, land wrangles and even students have missed exams due to money. So the topic of money management can not be kept under the carpet. No one can be happy without adequate money. We have witnessed gangs beating up people to the extent of killing them in pursuit of money .In  an economy where jobs are fewer than the population the demand for money is very high. From government to Church, money is a currency of life. people have lost lives because of lack of funds. So the question is, despite the importance of money why is it that this is a topic that is given less attention in our
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READING TO PASS EXAMS: A SILENT CANCER IN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

A certain student fell sick when the lecturer pointed out that he was to give the class a test. I have heard a number of students stopping their colleagues from reading certain topics because they will not be "examined". This is equivalent to "gambling". A number of students "burn" their books after graduation . The exams based education system has been in Uganda for a long time and it will take some time to erase its effects on society. This is not to say that examining students to pass is bad. However the examination based system encourages students to cram concepts and pass. This means that a person's potential is based on the marks got from the exam. What if the teacher who marked that exam was sick or not in the right mood? Many students have missed out on their careers simply because they failed to acquire the required pass mark. If passing was the only route towards "success", how come most of the shops in Kikuubo (Kampala's Centra
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A CLEAR LIFE PURPOSE: A KEY INGREDIENT IN SOCIAL PROGRESS

 In the New Vision of 30th September 2024 there was an article in which a program called Emerging Leaders Program(ELP) was introduced by the university and government officials. It is aimed at nurturing youths who form majority of the country(over 70% are below 30 years) into responsible and productive citizens. I believe that this is a very timely intervention. In the same article it was mentioned that youths face various challenges such as gambling and a number of them have dropped out of school. It should be noted that neglecting the youths is equivalent to destroying a nation's potential and prosperity.  In the past there were less pockets of crime than it is today. Today it is very common to hear that someone has been murdered and many people lose their property too. The wave of insecurity can be linked to lack of access to dignified employment opportunities for youths. Just this year 2 youths were involved in the murder of a prominent business man. This is not to suggest that
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IS AN ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT ENOUGH TO WIN A GRADUATE A JOB?

 I met a certain youth who "cursed" why he went to university. He noted that he spent a lot of money and sleepless nights reading but has not yet met his ideal job. Is he alone in this state of affairs? I highly doubt. In a nation where universities churn out over 400,000 graduates per year it is the norm to find frustrated graduates on the street. This is not to say that our universities are not doing a great job. Universities have undergone a lot of transformation in their teaching methods. Many have introduced internship placements for students so that they acquire work related skills while still at university.  The essence of this article is to scrutinize whether an academic transcript is an automatic gate pass to a job for a graduate. Today we  have so many graduates with good degrees but without decent work. Could the problem be attributed to the quality of education or other factors that are beyond the academic institutions. In his book After University What Next, Ambr
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IS YOUR DEGREE THE PROBLEM?

 I met a graduate who blamed his degree as the reason why he is not employed . There have been major debates among academicians, policy makers and development practitioners about the major causes of youth unemployment in Uganda. The truth of the matter is that a lot has been done by the stakeholders such as government in ensuring that the education system is reformed to meet the ever changing needs of society. In the past Artificial Intelligence was not a big deal and one would graduate without taking keen interest in ICT. Today technology is a competitive edge for any university student.  In his informative book called After University What Next, Ambrose Kibuuka challenges the reader to dissect the nature of their degree program. He mentions that in the past Music Dance and Drama(MDD)  was a despised course and very few students would apply for it. In the United States of America Holly Wood stars are some of the most highly paid personalities. Isn't it a matter of perspective that
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YOUTHS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO FORM GROUPS

 One of the biggest dilemmas that youths face is the high rate of unemployment. Over 70% of Ugandans are below 30 years and with over 50 universities graduating about 300,000 graduates per year the job market is really limited. In order to cope with life a number of youths have resorted to short term mechanisms for survival. Some borrow from loan sharks to survive, other resort to gambling and others have sold off their property to go to the Middle East in search of greener pastures. It is no wonder that I met a group of " disgruntled youths" who said they no longer believe in education. The government and other stakeholders are playing a critical role in creating a conducive role in ensuring that the youths who form the majority in the country can cope up with life. The interventions include Parish Development Model and reforming the education system. Having been in the financial literacy space of training youths, I have realized that the youths have a lot of potential but m
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