Book Review: The Story of an African Entrepreneur

By Gordon Wavamunno (Wavah Books, 331 pages) (Aristoc Ug. Shs. 15,000/=)

I have always believed that business in Africa faced special challenges that the best schools in the West could teach us nothing about. How does business in Africa cope with a poor skill base, high costs of production, corruption, and downright anarchy? How do you pick yourself up after your merchandise has been looted or destroyed by war? How do you work in an environment where a dissatisfied customer can put a gun to your head?

How does one rise from a humble village of Rugaaga, Bukanga Sub-county, tearing his shorts, sliding downhill on a banana stem to the commanding heights of our economy? How does one earn the title Professor and conduct lectures at the best business schools, not having attended any?
Put aside Kiyosaki and hear it from our very own. Gordon Babala Kasibante Wavamunno tells a riveting, compelling and truly inspirational story of the challenges to doing business in Uganda. Having tried his hand at being a transporter, taxi driver, dry cleaner, hotelier, insurer, metal fabrication, banker, vehicle dealer, property developer, and farmer (as at the date of the book!), Professor Wavamunno is the epitome of the entrepreneurial spirit at its best.

The book was edited by no less than Mr. Tumusiime Mutebile, Dr. Frank Mwine, Governor C.N Kikonyongo and Professor Lwanga-Lwanga Lunyiigo and the quality input comes out in the reading.

The opening line in the preface captures the essence of the man. ‘I like thinking big. I always have. To me it is very simple; if you are going to be thinking anyway, you might was well think big.’ This is from the man who has brought you Wavah Motors, Wavah Broadcasting, Wavah Books (who published this book), Wavah Equator, and now Wavah water!

From this high note, the book is a story of courage and ambition matched with resilience. It is peppered with proverbs from our rich cultures that enhance the learning the book offers. His affinity to proverbs stems perhaps from his proverbial name; ‘awava munno tewadda munno; awava okugulu wadda muggo’ (where a friend has left you, no new one comes. When you lose your leg, it is replaced with a crutch). The book talks about people and places that we all know of which makes it very real and personal.

Lets capture more of the man; ‘ I believe that while leadership requires vision and long-term planning, management is the art of turning vision, ideas and plans into action and useable things; entrepreneurship is seeking and seizing opportunities wherever they are. Entrepreneurship is the ability to see boom and success where others can only see doom and inevitable failure. It is seeing what others do not see and striking when the iron is hot. As my father used to say Linda kiggweeyo, afumita mukira (a hunter who waits for the whole beast to come out f the bush properly only spears the animal’s tail). More often than not, it is the fear of making a mistake, of being proved wrong, it is the fear of red marks or crosses against one’s answers in the school exercise book, the fear that this or that plan will not work, the fear of taking risks –in short the fear of failure- that are the greatest obstacles to success. ……In my view, making a mistake or a loss is not necessarily a tragedy because mistakes teach us that if something does not work, we can break up old patterns of thought and try something else. The tragedy in life is not having dreams unfulfilled; it is never to have tried anything innovative or ventured out at all for fear of failure, as children fear to go out in the dark?’
Even from these tiny excerpts, it is a compelling read you will agree.

Phillip Karugaba

(karugaba@globalink.org)