On the entrepreneurial side of Kampala

Zoey, Rajab, Benjamin & Luna

Kampala isn’t necessarily a city you think of when thinking about technological innovation or a booming tech-sector. However, Over the last few weeks we have had the pleasure to gain an inside view on some of the businesses and organizations taking part in Kampala’s up and coming tech sector. Our research topic deals with seeing what strategies young digital entrepreneurs are using in order to create and build successful businesses. To encounter these tech-businesses we employed various methods including reaching out to personal contacts and even online searches, however the majority of our respondents we found by simply checking some of the local tech hubs and co-working spaces. We had the opportunity to speak with some of the people behind the scene at some of Kampala’s biggest hubs opening the door to form connections with the entrepreneurs working there. We were definitely surprised at the start to see how many young entrepreneurs are engaging in various tech-businesses across Kampala. The businesses we interviewed belonged to a diverse set of digital sectors ranging from biometric payments to platform creation. Each entrepreneur came with a unique background and had their own way to overcome obstacles that their businesses were facing. It was inspirational to see that many of the entrepreneurs met were building businesses that help their local community through the use of technology, some of these included wearable technology to protect women’s safety, programming drones to deliver life-saving blood and agricultural apps to help farmers. It will be interesting to see how some of these tech-solutions can help solve some of the challenges Uganda is facing at the moment or even if they can be expanded to other markets.

All-in-all it has been an eventful, fun and challenging field study. It is hard to believe that just two short weeks ago we formed our groups and embarked on our research path. This has been a transformational journey as the group has had the opportunity to learn from one another and learn about the promising growth taking place in Kampala’s tech sector.

Tunaalabagana 🙂

• 

• 

• 

Victoire, Leah, Barbra, and Nicholas – Team Rwenzori

Last but certainly not least – Team Rwenzori for the win; named after West Uganda’s highest peak since we strive to be always on top! Formed with Leah and Victoire from CBS and Barbra and Nicholas in the MUBS side, we can’t believe our research project is already almost coming to an end.

Passionate about refugee entrepreneurship, we chose to focus on Congolese refugees since they form the largest population groups before Somalis, Rwandans and South Sudanese and they are known to be economically active working as tailors, selling bitenges – African fabric – or jewellrys.  After some intense discussion brainstorming on our research, we finally came up with our one million research questions: How does social capital influence Congolese refugees’ entrepreneurs running their business?  Our aim was to find out how these Refugees could mobilize different level of social networks from their close relatives up to the governments and NGOs working with refugees in an entrepreneurial context.

As team resources, we were able to count on Victoire and Leah to speak French with the Congolese and an MUBS knowledge of the city to figure out the best spots to go scouting. We set up Cooper Complex in the city center as our area of play since most Congolese entrepreneurs operates in this busy area. We spent a week and half scouting and interviewing ‘in the field’ – which we should may rename ‘in the jungle’. Imagine bodas everywhere and a multitude stalls selling spices, beauty products, food and drinks or African fabric. Unlike some of the other teams who were sitting comfortably in big corporations’ offices or startup hubs, our interviews consisted mostly of us trying to scribble on our notebooks while avoiding at the same to get knocked by vendors carrying large bags in the narrow alleys – but how fun! We absolutely loved the kindness of all of the interviewees – the plus being to become friends with tailors who were able to make us clothes out of African fabric.

Now’s last day of preparation for the presentation – we hope to impress with our new dresses and – possibly – our findings.

As said by Barbra, “My two muzungus are Kampala girls now” – well the girls would love to be in Kampala forever!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•