By Curthbert Kigozi
Anatoli Kirigwajjo who graduate with a degree in computer science is a happy and approachable man that I met at the Innovators village a hub down town in Ntinda. The 28 year old is exploring heights in the ICT industry with leaps and bounds.
As a fresh graduate in 2015, he felt he was over controlled by his boss in a certain organization he was working for as a junior programmer giving a reason of being used to his small side deals he would get of developing apps before the job at an average cost that would run him for a month.
In 2017, he quit his job as a programmer after being motivated by the little side deals he would still get despite having a full time job to start up his own Agency Thinkline 256 an ICT consultancy firm.
He was later own joined by a friend to increase on the work force in his firm.
Thinkline 256 would invent mobile apps, web applications, websites before but later on came up with an idea of doing Business Intelligence that wasn’t commonly used by organizations in Uganda.
Anatoli came up with the idea of business intelligence after him knocking onto different organizations doors with a goal of finding out what to automate but was all in vein since organizations already had the automated systems though lacked the value for their data something that sparked off him starting business intelligence in Uganda to produce insights (even on social media) were one is able to predict the future of the organization.
Kirigwajjo has so far done two projects with two different companies, the first one earning around USD 2000 to USD 3000 respectively hoping that the figures will change the more organizations will embrace the idea.
Mr. Ronald Mukasa a business expert at Enterprise Uganda says business intelligence is good since it helps organizations make wiser decisions.
How it has transformed his life
In the beginning he didn’t have an office space, though now operates under Innovation Village hub where he is able to pay his bills and support his family.
“I started alone, later joined by a friend and now it’s a team of five who all are being paid by this business something that shows we are touching on the lives of other people who can work”, he adds.
Google and Facebook are some of the companies he looks up to because each day they come up with new innovations a culture he wants to embrace as well.
Ups and downs in the ICT industry
Luck of enough support from the government, and a few program developers in the country that is married to the high internet cost are issues the thinkline 256 team leader sees that are moving the industry at a snail’s pace.
Where he is seeing ICT in the near future
There is a high number of youth storming the ICT industry which Anatoli thinks is a great development that will see the country produce results that will compete on international standards because with the little produced now, countries like Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are already giving credit to Uganda.
Message to the youth
“It’s all about starting and to have a purpose”, says Anatoli
He later describes his beginnings as hell on earth since he wouldn’t get business and at certain points thought of quitting but kept on motivating himself.
He urges the young generation to start with whatever is at their disposal and have a purpose as to why they are doing it.
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