Cecilia Kengoro Mutabanura is an Investment Specialist- Partnership and Engagement Affairs, Young Africa Works: Lead Firm Structure Project at Private Sector Foundation Uganda. Amelia Joannie Zanette caught up with her and she shared her notch in the business.
Who is Mrs. Mutabanura
I am a Christian, a wife and an introvert. I love music, film, travel and spending time with loved ones. Faith, family, compassion and humility are important values that have shaped my life. I work in the private sector development space, to influence the environment that enables more businesses to thrive and elevate livelihoods. However, I am also very interested in helping people nurture family values.
How do you perceive the role of an Investment Specialist?
My role as a Partnership Specialist revolves around fostering collaboration among implementing partners, government entities and NGOs to positively influence more stakeholders in the business and enterprise development space to support the generation of work opportunities. I also lead initiatives relating to developing the Business Development Service Ecosystem managing capacity-building programs and supporting case management with our project partners.
What attracted you to this particular position?
I find fulfillment in contributing to impactful interventions and promoting sustainable business practices, particularly, those that improve livelihoods. Therefore, I was drawn to this position due to its direct impact on elevating the dignity of Ugandan households, by creating work opportunities for the youth.
How do you envision engaging with and empowering the youth?
As a Partnership Specialist, I strive to identify, nurture and manage relationships with institutions and individuals who can advance our objectives and aspirations in the project that includes businesses, which are the key employers of these young people, government MDAs that influence the business and working environment in which we operate, financial institutions, faith and community-based rganizations, from which we mobilize the youth, as well as the families to which young people belong. All these come together with consent, programming, resources, and a conducive environment that not only prepares youth for the world of work but also enables them to remain in work.
Can you share insights on the challenges and opportunities related to youth-focused investments, particularly in Uganda?
Challenges may include: limited access to finance, inadequate infrastructure, lack of specialized skills and high levels of mobility among youth. However, these challenges present opportunities for innovative solutions to market access, such as establishing youth-focused incubators, leveraging technology for skill-building and use of existing structures such as VSLAs. By strategically investing in sectors with high youth employment potential, addressing challenges through tailored programs and fostering a conducive business environment, we aim to contribute to the success of Young Africa Works and empower the youth to become key drivers of economic growth in Uganda.
I would also focus on tailoring investment strategies that specifically target youth entrepreneurship. This includes providing targeted training programs, mentorship opportunities, and financial support to young entrepreneurs. Additionally, I would explore partnerships with educational institutions to enhance skill development and align investments with sectors that have significant youth employment potential.
How would you measure the success and impact of investment projects, in terms of youth employment and economic development?
The key indicators include the skills obtained, income earned, etc. However, when we think of youth employment of project as dignified and fulfilling, then we must take into account what the program participants regard as decent work, which is highly subjective. Therefore, as a project, it is highly critical for us that the results that we seek leave these youth in a progressively more livable situation than we find them.
This means tracking metrics like their ability to meet basic needs of food, shelter, medical expenses, etc. as well as increasing savings, access to education for children in the home and more investments. We have recorded a good number of impact stories where young people report pride in holding a certificate as well as winning the respect of friends and family.
How do you integrate training and capacity-building initiatives into investment projects?
Capacity building forms a central part of our support under the project. As we seek to crowd more young people into the world of work, it is vital that they build the skill sets needed to get them into business and make them competitive. As such, we work with project partners who are businesses that know the talent required to get the job done and with the relevant public institutions to offer training. We also work directly to build the capacity of our private sector partners who have often overlooked the social dimensions of working with specific targets or under-represented groups.
How do you ensure that investment projects align with ethical standards viable to the social fabric of the communities involved?
Safeguarding vulnerable groups is deeply enshrined within the different projects and different interventions are applied to ensure that all partners and actors at different levels understand and comply with the related guidelines. In addition, the project has a gender lens, to create up to 70% of work opportunities for young women. We also seek to target under-represented groups- refugees and PWDs. This inclusive approach helps identify opportunities for capacity building, job creation, and community development.
How do you stay adaptable and flexible in responding to unexpected challenges?
As a project, we maintain a risk management matrix and a record of learnings, from which we pivot our operations as needed. In addition, we work with other functions and projects within PSFU to identify arising issues within the business environment, particularly from our membership and often take action to either mitigate the risk or adapt as needed.
