| Challenge | Research Implications | Entrepreneurial Potential |
| Uganda is blessed with a rich cultural diversity that, unfortunately, is destined for erosion over time. Some of the explanatory factors include ‘blind’ westernization, persistent distrust between politicians and cultural leaders, rapid urbanization, etc. | Establishing aspects of Uganda’s cultures worth preservation and a cost effective way to preserve them. | This knowledge could lead to establishment of an attractive site for tourists. |
| Uganda has one of the highest birth rates in the world. This makes Uganda a good market for affordable infants’/children’s products. | Evaluating the market potential for infants’ or children’s products in urban Uganda, and establish what can be produced locally and more importantly, competitively. | This may include (i) designing babies cloths, pampers, etc. with a local “flavor” (ii) designing play-things for kids (iii) coming up with an appropriate local food packages for children, among others. |
| Most of Uganda’s middle class is Christian. Many celebrate Christmas by erecting decorated Christmas trees, often artificial, in their living rooms. But a natural Christmas tree can become a preferred option to majority of these people. This also applies to embassies, hotels, Bars, NGOs and companies. Problem is, good natural Christmas trees are in short supply. | Assessing the market potential for the natural Christmas tree in Kampala and other major towns in Uganda.
Establishing the suppliers of natural Christmas trees and prices charged. |
This information may lead to a viable business in growing and or supplying Christmas trees |
| Over 80% of Ugandans still use plant-based medicines. This includes many people in urban areas. Yet, plant medicines are increasingly becoming difficult to get, especially in urban areas. | Establishing the commonly used plant medicines by urban in Uganda. Finding out how these plant medicines can be grown and or looked after. | This information can be used to lobby urban authorities or plant conservation agencies to provide land and funds to grow plant medicines. Sustainability of this enterprise may be achieved by charging a small fee to pick the plant medicines. |
| Challenge | Research Implications | Entrepreneurial Potential |
| Newly born babies often cause sleepless nights to parents, because of ‘pain’ associated with their tender digestive tract. The pain often arises from gas swallowed while breastfeeding. Various health products are on the market to mitigate the problem. But these products are expensive to the average Ugandan. | Document traditional preparations used to mitigate gut-associated pain in newly born babies. Study their content, toxicity and efficacy. | Knowledge generated can lead to production of competitive health products for relieving gut-associated pain in newly born babies. |
| The hospitality industry (lodges, guest houses, travelers Inn, motels and hotels) is one of the key sectors driving Uganda’s growth. Bathing soap is probably the commonest non-food item consumed by this industry. This soap is used and discarded when it is more than 90 percent intact. | A way of collecting, disinfecting and re-packaging used soap from the hospitality industry in Uganda. | Safe to use recycled bathing soap can be sold to schools, orphanages, hospitals, etc. |
| Unemployment is high among young people in Uganda. It is worse among the unskilled or uneducated youth. | Challenges in Uganda that can be addressed with productive deployment of redundant youth. Examples may include planting of vegetation across gullies to stop soil erosion or silting of rivers, digging drainage along public roads, controlling the water hyacinth at landing sites, collection of polythene or plastics from the environment, etc. | A well defined cause, backed by a good strategy of deploying redundant youth, may win funding from municipalities, local governments, central governments, churches, development agencies, etc. |
| The Ministry of Education and Sports wants to roll out a new curriculum that will require mass provision of inputs for vocational training in secondary schools. | Establishing training inputs that schools will require after adopting the new curriculum. Alternatively, inputs required in skilling young people in Uganda. Of these inputs established, what is it that you can prepare yourself to produce or supply at competitive prices. | Supplier or producer of inputs for vocational training. |
| Uganda has registered a phenomenon increase in the number of vehicles on its roads. But nearly all these vehicles are second hand cars; many start developing mechanical problems soon after. Thus, the number of vehicles in Bad Mechanical Condition (BMC) are increasing in Uganda. | Prospect of buying vehicles which are in BMC, dismantle and sale them as scrap. Viability of selling spare parts from dismantled vehicles in BMC. | Setting up a recycling garage dealing in abandoned or soon to be abandoned vehicles. |
| In Uganda, the liberalization policy opened up the education sector. This has led to setting up of many primary and secondary schools that are private. Many more are set to come up, owing to Uganda’s rapidly growing population and the upcoming oil economy. | Establishing suppliers of uniforms, sweaters, budges, stocks etc. to schools. Finding out the quality and prices at which these items are supplied. | Information may reveal opportunities to supply good quality school items at competitive prices. |
| Challenge | Research Implications | Entrepreneurial Potential |
| Many houses coming up in Uganda have flash toilets. These toilets require frequent repair, especially with regard to the water-flashing system. | Identifying components that make up the flashing system in the water toilets. Establishing components that can be made locally and at competitive prices. Mobilising the time-tested artisans in Katwe or other areas into making these components. |
Become a maker or a supplier of spare parts for flashing toilets. |
| The National Museum, largely because of poor funding, is limited in terms of capturing and presenting a detailed picture of different cultural entities in Uganda. | Compiling adequate information on cultural entities in Uganda, i.e. from books, museums, oral tradition, etc. Use the information obtained to develop an online museum. The online museum can be promoted for use in secondary schools, tertiary institutions and general public. | May be accessed locally/internationally at a fee. Alternatively, it can be accessed free and generate income through advertising, targeting companies interested in young people in Uganda. |
| For ages, wooden carts have been used to carry people’s goods or luggage in Kampala and elsewhere in Urban Uganda. But these carts have remained the same (un-improved) ever since they came on scene, probably before Uganda’s independence. | Developing manually powered carts (improved version) that are able to carry more weight at consumption of lesser energy. | Can be used in agriculture, in rubbish collections, in carrying people’s luggage in towns, ferrying things within schools or institutions, etc. |
| Most rural households in Uganda, because of poverty, use small paraffin lamps (Tadooba in Luganda) for lighting at night. These lamps, because of their partial combustion of fuel, poses health risks to inhabitants in the households. | Computing or modeling the health risk(s) involved in the daily use of Tadooba for months or years. Developing an improved version of Tadooba with less health risks. |
Constitutes a viable business, especially when a subsidy is secured from government or a Development Agency to produce the improved version at a cheaper price. |
| Children who have left the crawling stage have a problem of making “pup” (feaces) away from the mother’s or caretaker’s eyesight, and then play with it. Sometimes they even put it in their mouths. Yet the use of pampers on a daily basis is not only expensive but many mothers think it is not a good care practice for their children, especially baby boys. | Designing a trouser or short pant that, when put on, can hold a child’s “pup” from dropping out, except in rare cases when it is overly watery (diarrhea). | “Securing” ownership of this design, say through a trade mark, can give rise to a viable business. |
| Challenge | Research Implications | Entrepreneurial Potential |
| An appealing and effective meas of reaching out to Uganda’s increasingly big population. | Finding out how to show videos or films in rural/peri-urban areas free of charge – outside working hours. | Can attract money in form of adverts or sponsorship from businesses, politicians, churches, etc. |
| Breast-feeding mothers need to protect against milk sipping out the breast on its own. | Establishing the gear/bras that mothers use. If imported, can they be made locally and cheaply? | Information could give rise to a viable business. |
| Prisons in Uganda and beyond have a challenge of places of convenience, where prisoners can ease themselves. | Design and develop a hygienic portable latrine/toilet for use in confinements. | Can be sold to prisons Dept. in Uganda and in surrounding countries. |
| Uganda a distinct hot-dry season during which people’s lips sometimes crack. | Learn about lip-sticks/cream used to protect against cracking of lips in winter. Develop a parallel version for use in a hot-dry season. | The product may easily sale–after an effective marketing. It can even be exported to surrounding countries. |
| Universities are struggling with the challenge of accessing funds to conduct research. | Marketing ideas from universities to government or private sector for funding. | Levy fee or commission can become a source of income. |
| Moral degeneration in Uganda is reaching worrying levels. | Establish a business service with regard to (i) nurturing in children good morals (ii) helping marriages survive (iii) imparting ethics and good conduct in professionals. | Quality services would secure a sizable market for this business. |
| Challenge | Research Implications | Entrepreneurial Potential |
| Although unemployment among the educated young people is high in Uganda, getting satisfactory workers is a challenge. | Head-hunting talents in various fields. Marketing talent to private companies, organizations, churches, schools, etc. | Creation of a service-business venture |
| Various innovations in Universities/research institutions end up on shelves. | Establishing these innovations. Assess their market viability. Market them to private sector locally and elsewhere in the region. | Creation of a service-business venture |
| Important (innovative) childhood plays of the past are dying out due to neglect, innovations in ICT, rural-urban migration, etc. | Revisit the childhood plays of the past and select most innovative ones. Set up a children’s park–dedicated to, among other things, childhood plays of the past. | Unique attraction site for children; parents would pay for their children to access the site. |
| Uganda’s middle class is expanding. Part of this population keeps on shifting from one town/place to another. Others travel and go for further studies. There is a constant need to shift or store people’s properties. | Establish the nature of properties that middle class in Uganda seek safe custody of. | A business offering services of property relocation and/ safe custody of properties |
| After liberalization of Uganda’s transport sector, competition among bus operators rose and it has remained high. | Devise strategies for bus campaniles to glue customers. For example, using a given bus a number of times/month would earn one credit units, which eventually translate into a free ticket(s). | Selling the strategies to bus companies at a fee. Implementing the strategies would create employment, while at the same time boosting the competitiveness of the bus company. |
| Challenge | Research Implications | Entrepreneurial Potential |
| Namugongo martyrs shrine and surrounding areas have enormous tourist and business potential, which is yet to be fully realized. | Establishing gaps in the tourist and business potential of Namugongo. | Knowledge can led to formation of business(es) |
| In order to grow the film industry in Uganda, Uganda Communication Commission directed media houses in Uganda to include in their programs films with local content. Good quality films with local content are however still few. | Find out whether you have a talent in writing, in case you do not know, by writing short piece of a scene and have it critiqued. If you have a talent, proceed to write good stories and sell them to producers or become a producer yourself. | May become an important source of your income. |
| Parliament of Uganda continue to pass laws that have a great bearing on the general population, yet the public remains largely ignorant of them. An example is the HIV-Act. | Developing a radio/TV program to educate the general public about these new laws – and their meaning. | If well developed, the program will attract listeners, who in turn will attract ads from which you can earn a commission. |