Advertising and marketing are key components of a successful business. Anyone can become a marketer as long as he or she has passion for it, in addition to sticking to the basics of marketing. This was evident when Ankunda Doreen, who recently graduated in Information Technology from Mbarara University of Science and Technology decided to take that direction.

When Ankunda was attached to Ahuriire Uganda Limited, an IT firm under the Work Readiness Programme, she was asked to join the business department. At first, her heart skipped a beat because she did not know much about business. However, when she attended the training, she was taken through the basics of marketing after which she was tasked to market the company’s online App, dubbed Rembo Finance System. It targets Savings and Cooperative Organisations (SACCOS).

Her role was to convince different SACCOS to embrace the system in member enrolment, savings and credit management online and mobile phone banking, among others. She says that every month, she recruits at least two SACCOOS into the system.

“I thought I would be a programmer but when we attended a hands-on training in business innovations, communication skills, and project management, I became a good salesperson. I applied the skills I learnt. That is why I have been able to work smoothly,” she says. She has gained confidence.

“Before I attended the training, I was shy, I couldn’t stand in front of 100 people and talk to them. But I can now do it. I have also learnt how to handle customers with different attitudes and backgrounds. Customers are the ones who sustain a business, if you fail to handle them well, the business will obviously collapse,” Ankunda says.

She says that when a customer is rude, it is important to keep calm and listen to the clients’ concerns and address their problems accordingly. Since Ankunda believes in being self-employed, she plans to venture into programming. She is considering developing a system that would help schools track teachers to check absenteeism. Teacher absenteeism remains a huge barrier to effective teaching and learning in Uganda. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that at least 60 percent of Uganda’s teachers are not present in classrooms at half of all public schools. Teachers are normally engaged in petty businesses like vegetable selling and boda boda business, to supplement their meagre income. At regional level, teacher absenteeism is higher in Uganda than other neighboring countries like Kenya and Tanzania. Ankunda says the world is going digital and it is important for all sectors of the economy to embrace technology.

“IT knowledge is an added advantage. Everything is getting digital, if you don’t embrace it, you lose out,” she says.