Business
Success Motors CEO to share business growth secrets at Pakasa Forum
Katwere, whose company has grown from a small start-up into one of Uganda’s leading car dealerships, will be among the speakers at the 12th edition of the Pakasa Forum scheduled for November 21 at Enterprise Uganda’s Business Development Centre of Excellence in Butabika, Kampala.
Success Motors CEO to share business growth secrets at Pakasa Forum
By: John Ricks Kayizzi, Journalist @New Vision
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Entrepreneurs seeking to build sustainable businesses will have an opportunity to learn from the experiences of Yasin Katwere, the founder and chief executive officer of Success Motors and General Trading Company, who will share practical lessons from his entrepreneurial journey at the 2026 Pakasa Forum.
Running under the theme “Opportunities and Ideas for Growing Businesses,” the event will be the climax of Uganda’s Global Entrepreneurship Week activities. Organisers say the programme will focus on practical knowledge, networks, funding opportunities and experiences that entrepreneurs can apply to their businesses.
Katwere, whose company has grown from a small start-up into one of Uganda’s leading car dealerships, will be among the speakers at the 12th edition of the Pakasa Forum scheduled for November 21 at Enterprise Uganda’s Business Development Centre of Excellence in Butabika, Kampala.
During an interface with Vision Group journalists at his Kyambogo headquarters on Thursday, November 12, 2026, Katwere disclosed that his presentation will focus on five key lessons that have guided his entrepreneurial journey, including the importance of thinking big while starting small.
“One of the things I want to share is that you need to think big but start small. The biggest challenge is that Ugandans do not want to start small. We want to start big. But you need to think big and start small,” he said.
He believes that the failure of many start-ups is partly attributed to entrepreneurs who lack access to practical business knowledge and guidance from people who have successfully navigated the challenges of building enterprises.
Katwere started Success Motors single-handedly in 2016. Today, the company employs more than 300 Ugandans and operates a business whose value he says has grown to hundreds of billions of shillings.
He wants entrepreneurs to use the Pakasa Forum as an opportunity to learn from established businesspeople rather than struggle through avoidable mistakes.
“The only way we can grow our businesses is to download the knowledge from the people who have made it. I can confirm and happily and proudly say I am a successful businessman. I started Success Motors small and now very big,” he said.
He also intends to explain the deeper meaning of the expression “mind your business”, a piece of advice from one of his former supervisors that influenced his decision to leave employment and establish his own enterprise.
Although he had a well-paying job in the United States, Katwere said he began reflecting on the possibility of building something bigger back home in Uganda.
He worked for five years, between 2011 and 2016, before venturing into business. He holds a first-class degree in chemical engineering from Kyambogo University and a master's degree in petroleum from the University of Houston in the United States.
Katwere started Success Motors single-handedly in 2016. Today, the company employs more than 300 Ugandans and operates a business whose value he says has grown to hundreds of billions of shillings.
He wants entrepreneurs to use the Pakasa Forum as an opportunity to learn from established businesspeople rather than struggle through avoidable mistakes.
“The only way we can grow our businesses is to download the knowledge from the people who have made it. I can confirm and happily and proudly say I am a successful businessman. I started Success Motors small and now very big,” he said.
He also intends to explain the deeper meaning of the expression “mind your business”, a piece of advice from one of his former supervisors that influenced his decision to leave employment and establish his own enterprise.
Although he had a well-paying job in the United States, Katwere said he began reflecting on the possibility of building something bigger back home in Uganda.
He worked for five years, between 2011 and 2016, before venturing into business. He holds a first-class degree in chemical engineering from Kyambogo University and a master's degree in petroleum from the University of Houston in the United States.
Beyond entrepreneurial discipline, Katwere will also highlight the importance of education and professional knowledge in business.
“Education and business are never apart. They move together. We have so many successful businessmen who probably do not have so much higher education. But if you can have both, it is the best,” he said.
He also wants government and institutions such as Enterprise Uganda to address the challenge of inadequate start-up capital, arguing that access to initial financing can help more Ugandans establish enterprises, create employment and contribute to national development through taxation.
Katwere will further discuss challenges in Uganda's automotive industry, particularly the dominance of foreign operators, which he believes requires government attention and stronger protection for local entrepreneurs.
Other 2026 Pakasa Forum speakers will include Sanjay Tanna, Entrepreneur and Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Amina Mukalazi, State Minister for Investment, Barbara Ofwono, the Founder/Principal of Victorious Education Services and Yasin Katwere, the Founder/Director of Success Motors.
Others will include Charles Ocici, Enterprise Uganda's Director General, Dr. Sarah Bimbona, the Director of the Makerere University Entrepreneurship and Outreach Centre, and Sarah Odongo, the Managing Director of the Global Entrepreneurship Network Uganda (GEN Uganda).
The Vision Group 2026 Pakasa Forum is sponsored by Enterprise Uganda, Uganda Revenue Authority, Centenary Bank, the Finance Ministry, and Pearl Bank. It is expected to gather over 1500 entrepreneurs.
“Education and business are never apart. They move together. We have so many successful businessmen who probably do not have so much higher education. But if you can have both, it is the best,” he said.
He also wants government and institutions such as Enterprise Uganda to address the challenge of inadequate start-up capital, arguing that access to initial financing can help more Ugandans establish enterprises, create employment and contribute to national development through taxation.
Katwere will further discuss challenges in Uganda's automotive industry, particularly the dominance of foreign operators, which he believes requires government attention and stronger protection for local entrepreneurs.
Other 2026 Pakasa Forum speakers will include Sanjay Tanna, Entrepreneur and Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Amina Mukalazi, State Minister for Investment, Barbara Ofwono, the Founder/Principal of Victorious Education Services and Yasin Katwere, the Founder/Director of Success Motors.
Others will include Charles Ocici, Enterprise Uganda's Director General, Dr. Sarah Bimbona, the Director of the Makerere University Entrepreneurship and Outreach Centre, and Sarah Odongo, the Managing Director of the Global Entrepreneurship Network Uganda (GEN Uganda).
The Vision Group 2026 Pakasa Forum is sponsored by Enterprise Uganda, Uganda Revenue Authority, Centenary Bank, the Finance Ministry, and Pearl Bank. It is expected to gather over 1500 entrepreneurs.