Filmmakers, fashion designers and artists in Uganda are at the heart of the nation’s post-pandemic economic resurgence.
Businesses and schools finally opened in January but the long shutdowns resulted in many casualties, with young people worst hit by job losses and financial hardship.
If you are not connected, it is hard to get a good job in Uganda, so I wanted the business to provide me with an income and create jobs across the supply chain
Entrepreneur Belinda Esaete
A shining light was the burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit forged in the bedrooms and garages of parents reacquainted with grown-up children who had returned home.
Their ambition was supported by Motiv, an incubator supporting young entrepreneurs with workspace, equipment, business advice and finance in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.
It aims to create 300,000 new jobs in the next five years.
The project has been built with assistance from the MasterCard Foundation, with a former vehicle chop shop in the Bugolobi industrial hub of Kampala converted into five warehouses across 7,000 square metres.
It provides a stage and gallery for artists, podcast and film studios, and workshops for carpenters and seamstresses.
Women make up more than half of new business owners at Kampala incubator programme.
Unlocking the potential of young entrepreneurs
Belinda Esaete, 26, lost her job as a procurement officer during Covid-19, so started her own business, Bel Deluxe, which designs and makes sleepwear.
“I spent months looking for a job, and my parents saw how frustrated and depressed I was,” she said.
“When I told them I wanted to be an entrepreneur, they said just go for it.
“In the beginning, it was difficult as I spent three months researching what I needed.
“If you are not connected, it is hard to get a good job in Uganda, so I wanted the business to provide me with an income and create jobs across the supply chain.
“To get the first orders in was exciting, but scary.”
A screensaver on Ms Esaete’s laptop shows a London high street shop to keep her ambition burning. One day she hopes to supply to companies such as Primark.
“Knowledge is the one thing you need when starting a new business and Motiv helped me develop that for free by connecting me with mentors,” said Ms Esaete, who employs eight staff, three of them full-time.
“It is tough being a woman and running a business — it is hard to raise finance and to have access to networks of businesswomen.
“The Motiv community does not see gender, just ambition.”
About 15 entrepreneurs work hours to suit their business, with Motiv facilitating an online trading hub to sell and distribute products made on site.
Raymond Malinga, 32, director of Creatures Animation studio, took his business from his parent’s garage to an office in the Motiv design district and has been chosen by Disney to create a short film.
“I had always wanted to be an animator and storyteller, so started a business with my brother Robin in 2015,” he said.
“I studied in Malaysia and worked there, but Africa was calling so I returned home to Uganda.”
From paying staff in noodles and reimbursing their travel costs, the business has evolved with each of his eight-strong creative team now taking a salary.
The brothers made a short film called A Kalabanda ate my homework that won multiple awards and was featured at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
“It is a six-minute film about a child going into school without his homework and blaming it on a Kalabanda, a kind of Ugandan bogeyman,” said Mr Malinga.
“It did really well and showed we could come up with concepts and form a team to produce it.”
That animation attracted the attention of Disney, which selected Mr Malinga from 70 animators across Africa to submit short films to tell their national story.
The anthology of 10 short films due in 2023 will feature on Disney+ to support the first crop of African directors.
“I had to pitch to Disney executives virtually during Covid. When I was selected, I was unable to tell anyone for a year,” said Mr Malinga.
“I am representing Uganda, taking aspects of our country's story and telling a futuristic version of it.
“For a budding studio like mine, it helps them to work alongside other creative people.”
Creative hub leading resurgence for young business people
A gallery at the live performance district of Motiv showcased art for International Women’s Day from a collective of around 15 creatives in Kampala, and connects artists with buyers around the world.
A month-long exhibition called Wall Speak was the first since the art space reopened, and saw work sold to collectors as far afield as Australia for up to $10,000.
“During the pandemic, people could not attend our shows, and we had curfews, so it was particularly challenging to show off our artwork,” said Mercy Vini, an artist working for the Vodo Art society at Motiv.
“The situation helped with our expression and content as we had time and a source of inspiration.
“Our exhibitions now are themed around Covid and our experiences during the lockdown.”
Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world — about 77 per cent are under 30.
The nation’s population of 45 million is set to explode as a result of low mortality and high fertility rates. It is currently growing by a million each year.
With huge potential economic benefits, there is also surging demand for jobs outside agriculture and tourism, the sectors which are the country's two main employers.
A “bounce-back from Covid” event staged in association with the Uganda Investment Authority will be live-streamed from the Motiv site in Kampala into the Uganda Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 on Wednesday morning.
It will showcase some of the work of young businessmen and women from the region to promote innovation, youth and sustainability.
Eugene Kavuma, Motiv community head, said the project has provided an opportunity for ambitious young people to shine.
“Covid has cost these people not only their livelihoods, but also their source of pride and value,” he said.
“Some have gone away to try other things or moved away from the city altogether.
“We have helped them limit their costs so they can restart their lives and careers.
“In January when the country and economy reopened, there was a huge resurgence in demand.
“People have been running a marathon to survive, and now they want water — they can finally take a breath and are excited about the future.”
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
