Rotary business clinic set to create economic opportunities

In a bid to foster economic growth and community development, the Rotary Club of Kampala Munyonyo in District 9214 is nearing completion of its innovative Rotary Business Clinic. 

According to the Rotarians, the Rotary Business Clinic is a platform that will facilitate opportunities in trade, investment and knowledge sharing among Rotary and the communities they serve.

The plan, the first of its kind in Rotary, is a signature project for the club's 2024-2025 president Ronald Kwesiga.

A business clinic is a professional advisory services platform that helps entrepreneurs, organisations, or even governments improve their performance mainly through the analysis of existing problems and the development of strategies for improvement.

(L-R) Emmanual Katongole, the Past District Governor introducing Ronald Kwesiga as the 11th president of the Rotary Club of Kampala Munyonyo as Diana Kwesiga looks on. This was during the installation and chatter night ceremony of the club at Speke Resort Convention Centre Munyonyo on June 29, 2024.

Business clinics also play an important role in promoting business growth and success by offering businesses the tools and support they need to improve their operations. They help businesses to increase their efficiency, reduce costs, and grow their revenue.

During the installation ceremony as the 11th president and club charter night celebration at Speke Resort Convention Centre Munyonyo on July 5, 2024, Kwesiga said they have realised that as Rotarians give to communities, their people including fellow Rotarians do not know their sources of funding, limiting support to their work which impacts on how they donate to the foundation in the long run.

“Rotarians will use the business clinic to table what they do, opportunities and challenges to fellow Rotarians for discussions on how to improve businesses and also gain support with an essence of riving the Rotary spirit,” he said.

He explained that the clinic to be launched soon will be used by Rotarians to pass over business knowledge to communities to help them start up businesses to grow their livelihood and economy at large.

The installation

At a colourful prestigious event, Kwesiga was installed as the 11th president of the Rotary Club of Kampala Munyonyo, taking over from immediate past president Sophie Namaala Bugembe who completed her one-year term of service.

While installing Kwesiga, Past District Governor Emmanual Katongole expressed hope in the coming business clinic saying it is an initiative that will bring Rotarians closer to each other as they serve humanity.

“We must support each other. We must go out and fish out those men and women who need business support in society so that they too can break out and develop their lives economically,” Katongole emphasised.

“I am a businessman who does not want the business and professionalism to stop me. The platform will further help me pass over the knowledge to others.”

Katongole reminded Rotarians that it is their core responsibility to make sure that at the end of the day, they leave the world a better place to live in for everyone.

In her message, District 9214 Governor-Elect Agnes Batenga thanked the club for the projects they have implemented in the completed rotary year such as the fencing of the Toro Babies’ Home among others.

Batenga further thanked them for growing their membership to 86 members this year and encouraged them to further raise the number to 100, arguing that there is strength in numbers.

She asked them to look further and deeper into their communities to design meaningful projects as they also gain partnerships with the people in the communities they work in as they are much needed in the success of the projects.

Batenga encouraged the members to continue giving more funds to the foundations adding that it is with this support that they implement projects that change lives in communities.

Five awards bagged

The outgoing club president Sophie Namaala Bugembe thanked her club members for genuinely participating in club activities which she said has enabled them to have a successful year of changing lives.

Bugembe said in her year of presidency, they have received five prestigious awards, including the global grant for their excellent service to humanity and contributed over $8000 (about sh30m) to the polio fight.

“Being the year for education and literacy, we have been able to do the Drop Everything and Read day at Kyaitamba Primary School and donated books to its library,” she said.

She thanked the project directors for ensuring that all the programs, especially the fencing of Toro Babies Home were done, creating hope for the children to grow in a safe space.

Bugembe described incoming president Kwesiga as a self-motivated and self-driven person, asserting that with his leadership the club is to achieve all its targets and will never go behind.

In attendance was the District 9214 governor nominee Christine Kyeyune, deputy speaker of Buganda Kingdom Lukiiko Ahmed Lwasa and Rotary president of presidents Godfrey Kivumbi among others.

Who is Kwesiga

Born to a teacher and soldier, Kwesiga holds a bachelor’s degree in information technology from Makerere University, a bachelor of law, a diploma in legal practice, a diploma in architecture engineering, and a diploma in business administration among others.

He is a philanthropist and co-founder of Ripples Foundation as well as the chairman of the Sail group of companies.

He joined Rotary in 2017 and he is a Paul Harris Fellow.

He has continuously served in various ranks such as director of club administration, membership director, and director of the Rotary Foundation.

He has also served at district level as part of the fundraising committee for the last district conference.

He is married to Diane Kwesiga with whom they have children.