And last but not least..

The fantastic 4 – or Mercy, Brian, Christina and Viktoria, as people also tend to call us J During the past 2 weeks we have been researching about youth entrepreneurship with a particular focus on the KCCA Youth Fund, a government initiative from 2011/12, launched to fight youth unemployment in Kampala.

Christina and Brian during the group interview at Natete market.

Throughout the field research we have talked to both government officials, Youth leaders from Kampala’s different divisions as well as young entrepreneurs, who have been involved with the Fund. And in spite of a limited time frame we have learnt a great deal about the challenges that young entrepreneurs face. During a group interview we held at Natete Market we asked the entrepreneurs to make a priority list of skill they found important to become a successful entrepreneur. The discussion between them was lively and even though the interview was in Luganda, everyone could feel the engagement and heat. After the interview the group asked us how we would prioritize the list, and in that way they involved us. Given the different cultural backgrounds we had all different opinions on which skills was more important than others, which made it very interesting. 

The Muslim family – the Gadahfi mosque.

But in between our hectic field research we also had time to eat lunch at the ministry of finance and planning (fancy fancy) and also visited the Gadaffi mosque, where we got a chance to play Muslims. The girls got dressed up from top to toe: Christina as the “barbie muslim”, Mercy the “Masitula” meaning  something in Muslim that we have already forgotten (sorry) and Viktoria just as “muslim Viktoria”– only Brian was allowed to walk around in his normal clothes. A fun experience.

Being the last group posting our experiences on this blog, we would like to thank everyone for making this trip and this collaboration between MUBS and CBS possible. Webale! Tak!

Mercy, Viktoria and Brian working very hard at Annex.

Blog Post Entry by Mathieu, Edwin, Filip and Mary

The group consisting of Mathieu, Edwin, Filip and Mary was researching about access to finance and we were dealing with SACCOS.

The group first had to come together and put forward a clear framework to be followed while in the field. This involved knowing clearly our objectives and what we wanted answered.

We were at the Uganda cooperatives and savings society in Maganjo, the headquarters of SACCOs, where we were seeking information in regards to activities, contacts, and the role of SACCOS.

We received valuable information that helped us have a more clear understanding of the SACCOS.

Our next visit saw us at Wandegeya market SACCO which is one that is composed of traders from Wandegeya. Despite the rains that at times made it tricky to visit the markets, we  were able to visit various traders and we were taken to members by a member of the SACCO management who was the Manager and this was very helpful with cooperation from many of the traders. The respondents were dealing in foodstuffs, there were special hire drivers, saloon, matooke and restaurant owners who all were benefiting from the SACCO.

We also visited Nakawa market which also had a SACCO that consisted of traders who were dealing in a variety of commodities including fruits, vegetables, household items and foodstuffs.

The enthusiasm of the team and the determination of members also had us utilize any opportunities to deepen our understanding o our research area and this involved meeting of numerous individuals who  had been in SACCOS.

However, this is not to say we had a smooth ride all the way, we were facing some unwelcome interruptions and inconveniences like the rain, sometimes we some team members were kept waiting in different places like it was in Wandegeya so as to link up and do the work together, but that surely could not stop the team from settling the issue at hand which was to understand the workings and impact of SACCOS.

Edwin Napakor

Team member

Experiences by Group 7- Sharon, Gerald, Karoline and Cecilia

“What drives me is the change I can make for this person” –Monica-

And what drives us are these kinds of stories when we are racing around out in the field trying to catch the stories of Kampala’s social entrepreneurs. This, in addition to, a fantastic group spirit and collaboration! But doing interviews in Kampala’s heat can also be tiring:

Siesta-time!

 We, Sharon, Gerald, Karoline and Cecilia, are investigating the understanding of social entrepreneurship in Uganda and trying to find out what motivates these entrepreneurs. Our project has already taken us on several adventures in and outside Kampala, including a visit to Buloba where one entrepreneur has set up an additional business to his coffee roasting. By using agricultural residues such as g-nut (peanut) shells to make fire briquettes, he is not only conserving the environment, but also empowering women who help collect and supply the production.

 

Gerald and the G-nut shells

The next visit led us to Makerere campus where the “Muzungos” were surprised to find a community of approximately 500 support staff and families living inside the campus area (under rather precarious conditions). Monica, a very inspiring lady, is through her catering business, training and employing the community women in making ‘fireless cookers’. This not only provides them with an additional income, but also gives them a name and makes them feel important, when muzungos like Karo and Cecilia come to visit!   

Mary and Karo bonding, with the fireless cookers in front. Sharon busy documenting on the left. 

The group with Monica (in front) and two of her female collaborators

We are looking forward to a new week full of action and hopefully a lot of interesting interviews!

No day will pass by without seeing the sun

Us after the field

Buon Giorno, Grüß Gott, Osuzotya from the italo-austrian-Ugandan group.

We would like to focus in todays blog post on the differences and difficulties in intercultural group work. Before coming to Uganda we were taught about challenges in intercultural group work, about language barriers and different mentalities.

To be able to do so, we will give you a brief introduction on our team members.

Moses, 30, from Arua in Northern Uganda, working as an accountant for an NGO and studying Finance at MUBS.

Gloria, 26, from Arua in Northern Uganda, working as lecturer at Makerer University Business School in Statistics and studying Economics.

Massimiliano, 26, from Modena, Italy, working as Pizzarista and studying Business and Development Studies.

Johannes, 25, from Nenzing, Austria, volunteering at BetterNow and studying Business and Development Studies.

Well, what were the biggest challenges after 10 days of working in a multicultural team?

Skin color – as „Muzungos“ Massimiliano and Johannes are definitely attracting attention on the market and interviews get interrupted by marriage proposals and attempts to kidnapping.

Speed – while the Austrian way of walking is pretty fast, the Ugandan speed is more comparable to a snail about to fall asleep. Even finding a middle-way is almost impossible.

Language barrier – working with Ugandans not able to communicate with local Ugandans due to different languages in North and Central Uganda, but also missing English skills on Italian-side are a challenge we have to overcome.

But life in this amazing country, with amazing ever-smiling people and not a single day without the sun smiling down on us and giving us severe sunburns, would be almost boring without those little challenges making work in the field fun.

Moses in the Field

Experiences by Group 4 – Shakira, Deborah, Anna and Hanna

It’s Wednesday March 20 and it’s now our turn to introduce ourselves and our area of research.  Our group consists of Shakira and Deborah from MUBS and Anna and Hanna from CBS. Shakira and Deborah are both doing a Master in Business Administration, while Anna and Hanna are studying Business and Development Studies back home. We are a group of four women, doing our research project about women. The topic we decided to focus on is successful female entrepreneurs in Uganda since we wanted to understand what barriers entrepreneurial women in Uganda are facing and how they have overcome them.

Finding ourselves having worked together on the project for a week and a half now, progress can definitely be seen (apart from the fact that all the MUBS students are still having some problems differentiating Anna and Hanna from one another). We have managed to interview some of the most interesting and determined women in Uganda, and more interviews are scheduled. With the project deadline in less than one week, it seems like all groups are doing well but feeling the pressure.

Coming from different countries and cultural backgrounds definitely contributes positively to the research. Without Deborah and Shakira’s help, especially with regards to contacting companies/organizations and finding the way to meetings, it is safe to say that Hanna and Anna would have pulled their hair out long ago!

This experience and the new-established friendships will not be forgotten.

Interview with the Ms Julian Adyeli commonly known as Maama Cheers!! 

Experiences by Group 3, Emily, Joshua, Rebecca & Maggie

After a week in Uganda we have already spent a lot of time with our new group members Joshua and Maggie. They are studying a MBA program in project management at MUBS.  Emilie and Rebekka are visiting from CBS, studying Business and Development studies. Even though we all come from different cultural backgrounds and age, we knew straight away that this was not going to stop us. 

Our overall topic is the informal sector. The first days we spent on discussing what we wanted to focus on. We finally decided to look further into the informal transport sector and specifically the boda bodas. We want to investigate the relationship between the role of their associations in mediating between the government and the boda boda riders. For those at home who are not familiar with the term “boda boda”, it is a motorbike that is used as taxi to drive people around.  It is the fastest and most convenient way to get around Kampala - especially in rush hours - though it might not be the safest.

Last weekend we went on a trip to Jinja to explore the source of the Nile. The bus ride was quite long, when we finally got to the boats taking us out to the source itself, we managed to lose one of our group members.  Luckily it all worked out in the end and after some waiting we took the bus together to Adrift Nile Lodge where people had the chance to do water rafting and bungee jumping. There were only a few people who had shown interest in the rafting, but with a bit of group pressure 10 people ended up doing it. Emilie and Rebekka on the other hand decided to really experience the boda bodas and took a three hour ride to a small island on the Nile. This turned out to be a good idea when we got to see the terrible sunburns of the rafters J

Experiences by group 1 – Teddy, Sarah, Karina and Søs

First of all welcome to the MUBS/CBS blog. This first entry from a group is by Teddy, Sarah, Karina and Søs – Sisters from another mother!

Sarah and Teddy are both MUBS students and they are studying their master of business administration, majoring in project management. Karina is studying her master of Business and Development Studies, while Søs is studying Leadership and management with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship Studies, both from CBS. These very different backgrounds have made for a very interesting group. We have decided to write about social entrepreneurship in Kampala and specifically we will be focusing on the skills and competencies of social entrepreneurs from Kampala and how the entrepreneurs utilize their social capital in their businesses. So far we have been at it for four days and a lot has happened. We have specified our research topic, gotten in contact with social entrepreneurs and spoken with people involved in social entrepreneurship in Kampala. What we have discovered is that entrepreneurs are not hard to find in Uganda. Everyone is an entrepreneur, a business man/woman or an innovator. You do not ask someone whether they work or not, but rather what their business is.

During these first days we have of course also spend a lot of time getting to know our fellow group members, class members and, for the Danish part, getting familiar with the Pearl of Africa: Uganda!

On Wednesday the whole class went to the Ndere cultural Centre to see a dance group perform traditional Ugandan dance from several regions of Uganda. It was an amazing experience for us all. The CBS students could do nothing but be amazed and impressed by the dancing and singing while the MUBS students could tell about the familiar dances and songs from their own home regions. Our own Sarah is from the western part of Uganda, which is known for its cows with long white horns, amazing milk, and (apparently) its very slow moving women! Our Teddy is from Buganda and that region also has its own dances that we got to see some of. You can see a video from the evening below – According to our hosts at the show, rap was invented in Africa and after seeing the video you will not doubt that fact. That guy can really rap!

Today we had a visit from the Danish Ambassador in Uganda, Mr. Dan Frederiksen, as well as Mette and Jonas from the embassy. During this first week of the programme in Uganda the class has also visited the Private Sector Foundation Uganda and the Uganda Investment Authority and it is amazing to experience the interest in our MUBS/CBS collaboration from both Denmark and Uganda.   

At Private Sector Foundation Uganda

In the Bus.....

One of the Teams in the MUBS CBS Collabo

Introduction to the FSEU field study course – MUBS and CBS blog

In order to introduce you to this blog, here are a few words about the FSEU field study course in Uganda.

We are a group of 20 students from Makerere University Business School (MUBS) in Kampala and 20 students from Copenhagen Business School (CBS) who are working with research projects within the area of entrepreneurship and private sector development in Uganda.  The group work is conducted in groups of four, constituted of 2 MUBS and 2 CBS students in each group. Various research topics have been chosen in the field of social entrepreneurship, the informal sector, female entrepreneurship and microfinance, among others.

The major purpose of this blog is to share the experience in the field doing research, and general dynamics of working in groups and experience in Uganda.