Teaching Ugandans to survive..: are we adept at acquiring and using learned skills?

In the recent past, the Government of Uganda has adopted various means to ensure that literacy rates are increased and that at least four children per family get to attain Primary school level education. Secondary school level education will soon be available to many more when Universal Secondary Education (USE) is fully instituted.


The education system exists so we can acquire basic reading and writing skills at elementary levels after which, with the advancement in age and learning levels, we can horn our other skills and talents and eventually adopt sustainable means of earning a living and contribute to the development of community and people in general.


This concept in theory is good but in practice, rarely will you see Ugandans stepping out of the norm to adopt other sustainable means of earning livings. Almost every other learned Ugandan is employed by government, law firms, finance companies/corporations, telecommunications companies, Media, Hospice and NGO’s. Very few have their own companies that provide unique services.


This is possibly because, among other reasons, Ugandans suffer “copycat syndrome”. Everyone thinks the next business idea will make them rich without effectively considering the possibility that business ideas do not work unless you make them particular to your person. For example, in Wandegeya, a small trading centre on the outskirts of Kampala whose main clients are from Makerere University, there exist over 5 restaurants/take-a-ways in a space of 75 feet on the side closest to Bombo road, a total of 10 exist on that side a lone. If every 3 steps lead you to an establishment selling the same commodities, the chances of making a profit lessen when a potential client doesn’t enter your establishment.


Privatisation of the economy served its purpose to certain extents, more businesses were generated, infrastructure has grown and generally, there are more opportunities to build oneself and the nation but we are still stuck with the same problems we had prior to the event.


We have the skills but do not use these skills to better ourselves. The mentality is “Everyone has to eat where they work” which roughly translated means you must milk all your opportunities for all their worth and rely on donor money to somehow correct the mistakes our corruption creates. So we cripple ourselves waiting on handouts from our government and other governments and our employers waiting for the next project to be able to scheme off the surface which inevitably downplays any skills we have developed.


The openings and opportunities to learn and better skills are numerous, information is readily available but only a few use it. It is no wonder that in Uganda today very few can actually think past setting up restaurants, which do not provide any unique cuisine, mobile phone accessories, public telephone stands and getting involved in transportation.


We have become adept at expertly looking at the present without accurately planning for further than tomorrow. In the event that our government collapsed, very few of us would have the means to survive, total chaos would ensure and we would be totally clueless because we have relied on one source, one skill for so long.