KARUBANGA: A budding entrepreneur, ICT guru

Aug 13, 2022

Karubanga is a regular presenter at international conferences relevant to entrepreneurship, information technology, and the role of youth in business.

Karubanga is a co-founder of Homeduuka a Pan-African technology company; Ffesi, Goldcage Africa, Tims Pay, and Tim Tech Consults.

By Barbra Kabahumuza and Jeff Andrew Lule
Journalists @New Vision

PAKASA | KARUBANGA | ENTREPRENEUR

At 20 years, many youths will be in their final stages of completing university. 

This is most common for those pursuing non-science courses, which take a duration of about three to four years.

Of course, because of the high competition, many will have to have to trek for years from one office to another dropping applications, while those who are lucky, can participate in family, or start their small ventures.

But it is different with Timothy Musasizi Karubanga. You can call it luck, blessing, or hard work! At just 32, Karubanga stands out to be one of the youngest entrepreneurs on the continent and globally.

In 2017, he was honored as one of the top 100 young economic entrepreneurs in Africa.

Who is Karubanga?

Born from a humble background in Mbale, it wasn’t an easy go for him.

After his primary school education at Fairway Primary School and Our Lady of Africa Schools for secondary education, he never gave up his endeavors.

Karubanga says since his parents didn’t have a lot of money, he had to find another way.

“At this moment that is when I started discovering my true potential. And being a second born who had responsibilities, I was so aggressive and tried several businesses including the gold business in DR Congo,” he says.

Like they always say, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” Karubanga has never looked back since his Japanese colleague offered to help him.

“With the help of a colleague Kenji Ekuan, a Japanese industrial designer, I traveled to Japan to study a course in Communications Engineering at Tokyo Institute of Technology,” he recalls.

Building his technology empire

Karubanga said it is from Japan that he eventually started Tim Tech Consults in 2010 after his course.

He later decided to return home, where he managed to establish 10 technological firms reported to be worth $12m (sh37.6bn).

He is a co-founder of Homeduuka a Pan-African technology company; Ffesi, Goldcage Africa, Tims Pay, and Tim Tech Consults.

“Of course, it was not easy when I had just returned. I face several challenges because investors were doubtful about me because of my age. But with patience, I managed to grow my technological business,” Karubanga says.

Tim Tech Consults is a global provider of process-driven information technology solutions that include the latest technological developments, operating in three African countries including Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This comes at the right time when Uganda is promoting trade with DR Congo and the region. With this, Tim Tech will be the provider of IT services in the regions.

“This played a significant role in developing what is now commonly referred to as Nearshore. This is both the name of a delivery model that is trademarked by Tim Tech as well as a term that is widely used in the industry to describe outsourcing services that are provided by countries that are located close to one another,” he notes.

Other ventures

Karubanga further ventured into other businesses like real estate among others.

“I started purchasing dilapidated buildings in the cities of Kampala and Mbarara around the year 2014. I would rehabilitate them then sell or rent them out,” he says.

He also started purchasing important plots of land in Kampala and developing them by constructing residential and commercial structures utilizing loans from various financial organizations.

Karubanga is a regular presenter at international conferences relevant to entrepreneurship, information technology, and the role of youth in business, and has been a keynote speaker at conferences held in conjunction with the International Electronic Circuits Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan.

He is also active in youth advocacy, and, on occasion, guides young people who are interested in starting up businesses

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