In Uganda, the demand for education exceeds the capacity of government schools; as a result, most people must turn to private schools, where the cost of tuition is unaffordable for many families. Additionally, there are very few schools that offer quality education, discipline and skills acquisition, towards which many parents in Uganda show interest. To make matters worse, the number of female students continues to decline as they advance in their education.
Our E4Impact entrepreneur Fortunate Akanyihayo witnessed this problems during her career as a teacher in the best schools in the country. Trying to offer a solution, Fortunate opened the St. Mark Secondary School in Nyakibale, which is a mixed secondary school that helps parents who want their children to acquire quality, holistic education at an affordable cost from a nearby place. The mission of her business is to provide a comprehensive learning experience, in order to produce a multi skilled, self-confident, solution-oriented and self-sustainable individual.
The entrepreneur joined our Global MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship in Kampala in 2018 because she wanted to convert her business idea into an actual business in order to impact her community. During the MBA, Fortunate had the opportunity to improve her business strategies and concretely define her business idea, becoming more confident and motivated.
“The business and market research I did as part of the course helped me to concretize my idea, believe in it and be more passionate about it. As my coaches helped me to realistically plan for it, I understood it more, I was able to explain it to key stakeholders to the extent that during the COVID-19 lockdown when most private schools were closing and changing business, I was not moved because I had clarity on where I was going.” she stated.
Let’s learn more about Fortunate having a look at the interview we conducted with her.
1. Could you share a general framework of the services, activities, solutions and/or benefits that your business has provided over the last years?
Over 500 students coming from over 8 districts have benefited from our comprehensive training of the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains of an individual. In these first five years we have employed more people than we had anticipated because parents loved our services and many students enrolled.
2. Which are the main achievements in the last 3 years and the main desired goals in the next 3 years?
In the last 3 years we have qualified for a registration certificate of the Uganda National Examinations Board Center number, we acquired the 163rd position in the country out of 3808 secondary centers and we put up enough rooms for our O level students. Over the next years we desire to furnish our ICT laboratory, establish A level at school and set up 7 rooms to accommodate A level students.
3. How was your business idea born?
I was teaching in one of the best secondary schools in the country and every start of the year there were many students who wanted to join the school, but couldn’t: they were for girls only and they were way too expensive for ordinary citizens. Even in other schools of similar quality, most students couldn’t enroll because of the high tuition fees, while the more affordable schools didn’t meet the quality standards expected by parents. Moreover, there were far fewer secondary schools than primary schools in the country in general: in my district (Rukungiri district), there were 302 primary schools compared to only 48 secondary schools when we began in 2019. I therefore thought a school that would provide a kind of education that combined academic excellence, discipline and a variety of skills in a secure environment and at an affordable cost would be a good idea.
4. Could you tell us a particular satisfactory moment you had in your entrepreneurial activity?
After the lockdown, when I saw parents returning with their children, having paid their fees; I was confident more than ever that our customers genuinely believed in the value we provided.
5. What has been the main challenge you had to overcome in your entrepreneurial experience?
The main challenge for me was turning my idea into an operational business, understanding how to start and acquire the first customers, a problem I overcame by serving the few who came to us so well that they wanted to tell everyone about the service.
6. Could you tell us more about the impact you saw in your entrepreneurial environment?
The business is making a good turn over and is profitable, the community where the school is built has become more decent and orderly.
Since 2019, we equipped over 500 Ugandans with employable skills and positive attitude towards work, of which 60% are female. We contributed to the reduction of unemployment rates by employing 45 people directly and over 100 indirectly, contributing to the reduction of poverty and other undesirable consequences of unemployment. And, last but not least, we provided about 800 community members with financial literacy training and some life skills as they come to visit their children on set days.
In the near future, I would like to continue bettering the service especially for our students and ensuring all my employees are well paid and appreciated.
7. In your opinion, what are the main qualities an entrepreneur should have?
An entrepreneur needs resilience, honesty, interpersonal skills and ability to multitask, especially in the startup stage of the business.
8. Is there a person you are inspired by, like an entrepreneur or a particular mentor?
Robert Kiyosaki, the author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” has been a great source of inspiration for me.
9. Finally, what would you suggest to a new-born entrepreneur?
When you set out to begin a business, let it be a business you are passionate about. Plan realistically and be ready to participate in most activities such as the marketing.
