Sedrick Otolo’s Outcry for Youths in Lango Region

How does the 2024 Lango Innovation Challenge come about?

Well, good afternoon. My name is Sedrick Otolo from Lango. I am a team lead for Kakebe Technologies and, at the same time, the lead for the mentorship session called Mentor Me 360. In this session, we aim to see how best we can help young people be empowered to stand out in their community, excel in their activities, and thrive in everyday aspects of their lives. Our goal is to help them become more intrapreneurial, innovative, and to build resilient leaders within the leadership spectrum of this country.

So, my point for today is that I have seen so much happening around the country, with many efforts being made to support innovation, young entrepreneurs, and individuals pushing the nation forward. However, the challenge arises in that most of these programs and activities are very centralized. As a young person, I am eager to explore how we can help young people become more resilient and entrepreneurial outside the capital of Uganda, which is Kampala. I believe it’s crucial to ensure that these initiatives reach beyond the capital. 

What is the Lango Innovation Challenge?

To illustrate, we are currently organizing what we call the Lango Innovation Challenge, which brings together young people from the Lango region to compete against one another. This competition encourages them to develop innovative solutions to solve local problems affecting their communities. It’s not merely about the competition itself; it’s about fostering a sense of community where young people can think creatively, apply concepts learned in class practically, and effectively solve problems. This is what we refer to as critical thinking.

Why are you starting this Challenge?

When you visit developed countries, there was a time when I was in the States, and I noticed that students in grades P.6, P.5, P.4 were engaged in activities like this. As a country or as a young person in Uganda, I feel that if we want to foster creativity in our youth, we need to start investing in them at an early stage where they understand the practicality of what they learn in school and begin thinking creatively. This isn’t just about individuals interested in IT or technology; it’s about promoting creative thinking. Because once there is a team, composed of people who can think creatively, we shall make innovative decisions, and solve local problems, remarkable progress can be achieved.

What issues will the 2024 Lango Innovation Challenge tackle?

My biggest plight, or my biggest problem, or my request that has been surfacing for so long is this: We have so many young people within the Lango sub-region, especially in Lira, who are graduating from universities and various institutions. However, when they start a company, they often cannot afford to pay the high rents in the city or invest in expensive buildings to support their businesses.

And some of them, you find, have creative ideas but nowhere to fabricate them. They can’t afford to hire expensive machines or bring in costly computers to help them build solutions. This worries me, as someone who has experienced similar challenges. I have seen the difficulties faced when starting a business, trying to rise above the norm, and pursuing personal aspirations. 

What are you trying to tell the leaders?

So, here is my solution: I believe that if development partners or anyone out there would listen to the cry of my heart, this problem can be addressed. We can help the people of the Northern region, particularly those in the Lango sub-region and Lira city, especially young entrepreneurs.

If development partners could come together and build what you call an innovation center, a technology hub, or a business center, it would make a significant difference. This center would include labs and creative sessions for both educated and uneducated individuals because you don’t need to be highly educated to create something. You just need some knowledge. Having a place like this, a multipurpose hall, for example, would make it easier to gather young people without unnecessary payments, enabling collaboration and innovation.

If such a place existed in our city, it would facilitate the gathering of young people and make it easier for the City Council and other leaders to organize and implement initiatives. This is my heartfelt plea, and I believe that with time and effort, we can create a space that young entrepreneurs can call home. I call on anyone within the Lango sub-region or the northern region of the country to support this endeavor.

Who can participate in the Lango Innovation Challenge?

We are organizing what we call the 2024 Lango Innovation Challenge. This competition involves both secondary and primary schools, providing them with opportunities for growth. To participate, all you need to do is register. My request to anyone reading this article is to let us come together as young people, embrace the power of unity, and work towards bringing development to our society. It is our society, and we cannot run away from it; we need to change it. If we don’t change our society, nothing or nobody else will step in to change it for us. This is my plea.

What would you like to tell people who have power?

Lastly, I want to emphasize that if you have the chance to influence decisions, whether in government, large organizations, international bodies, or decision-making boards, please use your voice to address local problems in your community. I am advocating for this on behalf of my people, as I come from Lira, and I want to see the challenges they face resolved in some way. We can only make a difference if we choose to acknowledge the challenges people are facing and determine what small steps we can take to make an impact.

I love the phrase that my godfather told me: “Everyone can do something to help someone.” And I believe that, regardless of the position or capacity, whether it’s at a personal level, organizational level, country level, international level, or nationwide level, we can bring change to our communities. I am not only focusing on the Lango sub-region; I am saying we can bring change in every state we have. In Western Uganda, we have Gulu in the Acholi sub-region. We have the West Nile—all these places need development.

Why should the government decentralize most activities?

If we want our country to develop, if we want it to catch up with the pace of development, we need to decentralize many activities. We must train young people outside the capital because everyone is flocking to the capital in search of a better life. How about we create that better life for them? It all begins by providing avenues for them to easily start businesses or make money. Eventually, they will become strong, rise up, and become leaders. We should encourage them to become entrepreneurs, to initiate projects, and to see them through to completion.