So much to offer… |Memoirs from Jinja
If there is a town with an entrepreneurial bone, in Uganda, its Jinja. Sitting along the northern shores of Lake Victoria, near the source of the White Nile, Jinja town has been a tourist attraction and an industrial town as far back as 1948. In those days, Jinja had the second-largest economy in Uganda with its electricity plants, breweries, sugar mills and rolling shambas.
We know that with that rich entrepreneurial history, Jinja’s people have a lot to teach us and offer the country. We were not disappointed when we launched in Jinja last Friday. The activities leading up to the launch consisted of Workshops on storytelling, business training, a pitch day, a panel discussion and a marketing and sales workshop. Out of these, we held a glimpse of the ideas of Jinja’s entrepreneurs that we found to be full of promise.
We are looking forward to the dreams that will come to reality and the talent we will uncover through the platform of The Innovation Village in Jinja that was launched on the 28th of Feb 2020.
Preparing to change the Future of Work | Preps for the Big Day.
It has become a rite of passage to for graduates to prowl the streets for months that can go on into infinity looking for employment but we decided to do something about it. 400,000 Ugandan youths enter annually into the job market to compete for approximately 9,000 available jobs. This creates the unemployment rut that many youths trudge in for years leading them deeper into destitution. Through the #FutureOfWork Challenge we are seeking solutions from startups that will use technology to create new streams of businesses to provide more opportunities, create a market ready workforce and provide technical upskilling and apprenticeship in untapped opportunities.
136 applications went through several screening processes that left 26 applicants in the running challenge. On Friday the 28th of February, the 16 applicants practiced their pitch to 12 mentors in different industries who are to help them prepare for their final pitches on the 6th of March 2020.
Due Diligence with KAIN:
KAIN, organized its 3rd Masterclass with startups where they discussed Financial due diligence, Legal due diligence and what entrepreneurs should expect as they prepare for investment.
The Masterclass was headlined by Reuben Gasansule, an Investment Analyst with KAIN. Gasansule told the entrepreneurs that it takes varying periods of time from the review of pitch decks, to screening, evaluation and due diligence, and finally investment. Coming up in the pipeline are 2 other Masterclasses on investor readiness that will close the series on 12th March and 26th March. Stay on the lookout on the Tukole pages to attend them.
Safe Work Places | Health and Safety Tukole
On the 24th of February, Tukole held a Health and safety training for technicians. The training was meant to equip technicians with the knowledge, health and safety in the workplace.
The technicians were introduced to 5 Kaizen best practices in the workplace organization for industrial factory and office equipment. From the training, we hope that the equip job professionals with knowledge skills and attitude on maintenance of a safe place.
Hustle Less & Live More , Pamela Wagner counsels.
In an age of hustling, and glorification of working 8 days a week, Pamela Wagner, the founder of Ajala digital has another philosophy towards work. Pamela who was listed on Forbes, 30 under 30, and a former employee of Google spoke to entrepreneurs at The Village about mindful living even while running business. She discouraged embodying the hustle mentality because it connotes strife which is a negative thing that impacts one’s life. She advised pursuing a more balanced lifestyle where one dedicates time to work but also takes off tome to immerse themselves in life. Pamela spoke of the importance of being open-minded and positive towards life because it’s more fruitful than the reverse. Pamela will be holding a Digital Training at The Village on the 3rd 6th and 9th March with entrepreneurs and people who are interested in learning these skills.
These are the stories from last week, always look out for your weekly read here on medium.
