FINANCIAL LITERACY & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

 Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world. The youths hold a lot of potential. No country can develop when its youths have latent potential. Over 70% o Ugandans are below the age of 30 years. The youths can become a curse or blessing depending on the way they are nurtured. Without awareness of their dominant potential, many youths waste their lives away. This is regardless of level of education. The fact that the youthful age is characterized by risk taking a number of youths end up using their energy in wrong ventures. It is common to find able bodied youths taking alcohol in the morning. It is common to find youths discussing politics and football during times of working.  The key issue to ask is, are Uganda's youths doing enough to overcome the unemployment dilemma? Statistics show that Uganda's universities produce over 400,000 graduates per year. The question is who absorbs all the other graduates. On the news I once saw a clip of medical professionals who ...

 We live in a generation where everything is desired in an instant. Instant foods. Instant grades among others. But is great success achieved overnight? Recently I met a youth who told me that he had given up on his business since it was not making profits. Most of the great companies started small. These include Equity Bank, Grameen Bank, Google, Apple and KFC. Today they are multi billion companies employing thousands of people and contributing to the global economy. Most of the greatest entrepreneurs face failure but they have a never give up attitude. They see failure as an opportunity to learn and raise the bar.  For the last 5 years I have been in the business of mentoring youths in grassroot financial literacy training . What I have found out is that most of the youths have a lot of potential but lack the mentorship to achieve their goals. Many are living below their potential because they lack guidance. We cannot develop and transform our continent when most of the you...

 Everybody desires financial freedom. There is this particular university student who missed his exams because he gambled his tuition. This is not an isolated case. Many youths today are in the trap of living beyond their means. Many use their peers as a benchmark for spending. There are even youths who have a saying that what if they die and leave their money behind. I think that is fatalistic thinking that cannot produce generational wealth. If all the wealthy people who have built big companies had a live for today mindset then the world would be in trouble. Today a number of youths view money as a tool for spending. This has also not saved corporates. If a corporate viewed their salary as a seed for wealth creation we would see less financial stress. Am I trying to live in self denial? Perhaps not. I am addressing a critical issue that I see everyday as a grassroot financial literacy trainer/ coach.  Some of the financial troubles that we face are a result of the failure t...

 There is no society that is devoid of resources. There is no person without capacity. Countless books that I have read have showed me that mindset is one of the greatest weapons for financial deliverance. For the past 5 years I have been providing grassroot financial literacy training especially among the youths. It has come to my attention that Ugandans have a lot of potential but most of it is still hidden. The elite have a lot of work to do to transform their country. Almost every youth wants to sell off their land to go for greener pastures. The question is who will develop Uganda if all the youths vacate their motherland? In a nation where over 70% of the population it is important that the youths are trained to focus on opportunities that are prevailing in their nation rather than focusing on problems. The other day a university student missed exams because he gambled his tuition. Gambling has made many able youths drop out of school. Today we live in a generation of youths ...

 We are at a crossroads as a nation. A number of gradates are losing hope in why they graduated. Recently I interacted with a group of university students and asked them where they will be after graduation . Their responses were not very appealing. It is important to redefine why students are at university. Without knowing the clear purpose of something it is bound to be abused. It is not surprising to find a graduate doing "nothing" despite having graduated with good academic grades. It is critical that a graduate takes time to reflect about the relevance of his degree to the world.  The question is, if a school dropout can positively impact the world, what on earth can stop a graduate from making an impact in their community. Today a number of graduates fear their own brilliance. Without taking stock of the previous academic certificates , a number of them rush to pursue more studies without first using the previous knowledge. Is it bad to amass more knowledge? The answer i...