Odrek Rwabwogo, Chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), has called on students at Makerere University to boldly embrace entrepreneurship and home-grown innovation as the key to addressing Uganda’s socio-economic challenges.
Speaking on Thursday at the Uganda Entrepreneurship Congress & Youth Expo 2025, held under the theme “Brewing Prosperity: Youth Entrepreneurship in Uganda’s Coffee Value Chain,” Rwabwogo noted that the event gathered more than 600 young innovators from the university who presented over 300 business ideas and products aimed at national transformation.
Turning ideas into impact
“Life is not always found in books or at university. Education can come from strange places,” Rwabwogo told the audience, adding that “everyone has gifts, talents, abilities and resources to utilise.” He emphasised that entrepreneurship is about what you change in a country with unmet needs. He also spoke at length about leadership: “Leadership, to me, is much deeper than a position. It is the ability to fix things in an uncertain environment… you may not know if you’ll be here tomorrow, but you take the risk to act, and that effort is noble and commendable.”
He urged students to go beyond academic research, saying: “Don’t worry about people criticising your papers. If you produce ten papers and two are useful, that’s success. Even if you fail seventeen times and succeed on the eighteenth, that’s progress. The key is to align your work with the needs of the country.”
On local innovation, Rwabwogo emphasised: “Not everything can be commercialised, especially in a country that imports 90 % of what it consumes. Identify needs that outsiders will never cater for our language, culture, food, and local nuances. Those are our unique strengths.” He pointed to traditional trades such as pottery and carpentry as fields ready for modernisation and entrepreneurial energy.
University as an innovation hub
At the same gathering, Prof. Sarah Ssali, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Makerere, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to both higher learning and innovation. “This year’s expo comes at a time when entrepreneurship is crucial. We continue to champion practical learning and innovations by turning graduates from job-seekers into job-creators. This is in line with our strategic plan,” she said.
Prof. Ssali pointed out that, while Makerere produces over 10,000 graduates annually, many still face employability gaps, which the university aims to bridge through its entrepreneurship initiatives. She highlighted the importance of regular engagement between students and industry, and proposed monthly mentorship sessions to strengthen leadership links with young innovators.
Meanwhile, Dr Sarah Bimbona, Director of the university’s Entrepreneurship and Outreach Centre, outlined the centre’s efforts to link academic theory to industry practice. She shared how the centre has nurtured over 1,000 business ideas annually over the past nine years. Still, she acknowledged that the impact remains difficult to measure due to a lack of resources for tracer (follow-up) studies. The centre’s three priority calls for support are: increased resources, stronger industry linkages, and sustained mentorship and patronage to support student-led enterprises beyond the idea stage.
Spotlight on coffee value chain innovations
On the event’s second day, the Youth Expo 2025 showcased innovations across multiple sectors, with a strong focus on the coffee value chain. Young participants presented everything from agricultural processing tools to digital platforms designed to streamline coffee production and distribution, demonstrating the wide scope for innovation in one of Uganda’s key export sectors.
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