Businessman Bitarure urge youth to utilize the benefit of their youth age in boosting productivity
Drake Nyamugabwa
Businessman Dr. Patrick Bitature called upon Ugandan youth to identify and utilize the benefits in their youth age in their quest for enhanced productivity and the dream future.
He revealed this to the youth while officiating at the South Western Uganda Business Symposium in Wakiso District.
“The biggest advantage you have over me is age, you’re young. You don’t see it as a benefit, but it’s such a powerful thing. Anybody my age will pay any amount of money to become as young as you but we cannot. You have time on your side!” he said
He said that everyone can exploit their potential to generate wealth. “Use time to your advantage. Every single day that passes is a day lost, it will never come back. Use time to change your life to achieve your goal, have a purpose and set a roadmap on how to achieve that goal,” he said
He added that “You want to be extremely rich, you have to work extremely hard and do research on potential sectors of business before you engage in very well. If you don’t do your research, don’t waste time. Any small business can work in Uganda there’s so much potential,”
Prof. Gudula Basaza, Managing Director, Gudie Leisure Farm, pictured above said that South Western region has got a lot of potential in all sectors, especially in agriculture and tourism.
"We have the raw materials; we have the hardworking people but we need to add value so that we can get more. If you look at an example of Matooke bananas, Isingiro alone as a district every day brings out 500 trucks. This Matooke comes with its skin, but who is using this where it goes in Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono? So, we are actually carrying a lot of rubbish around and we are saying let somebody out there come and seize the opportunity and add value to this matooke,” she said.
Basaza further said Kiruhura alone as a district produces over 100,000 litres of milk which calls for more factories that process milk to produce different products of yogurt, powdered milk, and many more.
The region is also the gateway to the East African region, having so many border districts to Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and DRC, a very important feature for business opportunities.
Basaza her farm which operates in 27 districts in Uganda including Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso, Lwengo, Kyotera, Masaka, Kiryandongo, Luweero, Dokolo, Moroto, Arua, Amolatar, Nwoya, Soroti, Jinja, Namisindwa, Tororo, Hoima, Mbarara, Isingiro, Kabale, Kisoro, Kikuube, Fort Portal, Kamwenge and Kassanda, has trained 112,900 young people who are now part of its business development network
“In each of our parishes, we have 25 cottage industries, and each of these industries has an opportunity to bring together 100 youth working on one particular cottage industry. This is an opportunity for the business community knowing that you already have a group of people that are already organized and already trained that you can work with to advance your other interests whether you are into processing or into exporting.”
