NEW YEAR MESSAGE: UGANDANS SHOULD MAKE 2023 THE YEAR OF AFRICAN ECONOMIC ADVENTURE.

Uganda has had its share of challenges in 2022. From another pandemic, to economic hardships brought about by foreign conflict. Somehow the football world cup in Qatar has been a blessing to help end the year in a global positive way, though it is clear that our development path to middle income status has been stalled by external factors beyond our control. However the people of this country are a resilient lot that get up and try their best to push through the hardest of times. A spirit that should continue strengthening in 2023. The governments job is to do all it can to improve the wellbeing of the people and help them be able to be productive citizens that fully participating in the socio-economic sphere. The development of new infrastructure must be accelerated. Agriculture has to prepare for the unexpected given climate change. Education is as important as ever. The pandemic showed the world that health is actually the number one priority to any country. Trade within the East African Community (and further afield with the African Continental Free Trade area) has to be taken advantage of by our citizens. In this particular regard, government must look into providing the market information and financial facilities that entrepreneurs need to venture out of their comfort zones. The question many are asking is what do other countries need that Uganda can easily offer? Such basic information put in the public space is key to ensuring that entrepreneurs take advantage of all the opportunities hidden in the free trade agreement. Another area where young Ugandans have a chance just like youths elsewhere in rich countries is innovation on internet platforms. The Covid-19 pandemic forced us a country to make significant strides in that direction jist loke it did globally, and many young Ugandan entrepreneurs have since started making better use of platforms like social media and mobile apps. I am sure that the data is impressive in this area, and the government ministries responsible for oversight must shift focus from being a watchman fighting over what people say, to doing everything they can to facilitate growth of the sector. The internet has increasingly become of global economic significance, and is now awash with once unattainable technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning innovations which I see as low hanging fruits for all areas of traditional economic activity. Venturing to new African markets also means that Ugandans should upgrade business performance, product quality, delivery times and customer service so as to provide better goods and services in order to better compete with other Africans. Remember that they are also looking at what they can offer around the continent so who is going to take and/or dominate in the different African markets?
Personally I advocate for public-private partnerships that will see more clean energy/electric vehicles (particularly cheap commercial use vehicles like small electric pickups, small electric passenger service vehicles, electric motorcycles, even electric family vehicles) brought to the African market. African governments must also consider partially transforming their vehicle fleets and start including electric vehicles instead of just 100% percent fossil fuel vehicles. In fact our leaders should have by now been having at least one electric vehicle at home and thus support/instigate/create the market while showing direction to the people. Times are changing worldwide, and the African market is for Africans to grab. Let it not be others to always be coming here to exploit what we are ignoring, and then we wake up when its too late.
Ladies and gentlemen. In conclusion, I call on all Ugandans to make 2023 the year of the African adventure.
Happy New Year!

Lumumba Hussein Amin
26th December 2022.
Kampala, Uganda.

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