Uganda makes leap in BPO

Uganda has has started making steps to become a major Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) hub in Africa. The government has shown strong commitment to promote this new form of employment creation. It is trying to follow other countries like China, India and South Africa which have reaped many benefits from the service. The government has shown strong commitment to support investors in the BPO sector.

It has teamed up with investors like Dhanush; an Indian BPO firm, Raps-Spanco; a joint venture between Raps an IT firm in East Africa and  Spanco an international BPO firm and TechnoBrain.   Many youths are going to get jobs when these firms start operation this month. About 500 youths were trained in skills like call center operations and data entry  by Makerere University, the ICT Ministry and firms like the African BPO Academy.

The government is to provide incentives like subsidized power, internet bandwidth and free office space on the third and fourth floors on Statistics House in Kampala. This is a positive gesture by the Ugandan government towards promoting job creation. With this, Uganda joins South Africa to become the next best thing in BPO in Africa. South Africa provides investment grants to investors in the BPO sector. For example the South African Government  launched a Government Assistance and Support programme in March 2007 to promote investment in the BPO sector.

Further, even education institutions have followed suit in a bid to promote  BPO in the country. Management Training and Advisory Centre (MTAC) at Nakawa has started offering certificate courses in BPO related fields. For example starting  July courses like Call Center Manager Certification and Certificate in Customer Service will be offered to interested applicants. This will enhance professionalism in the BPO sector.

The BPO sector is not new in the Uganda. A team of private individuals already have an established BPO firm in the country. Zundati International has been in operation for more than five years. It is run by a team of professionals who have done work for reputable firms like Ancestry,com. It is an international firm with a subsidiary in the US. A lot of youths have been able to earn income through doing offshore work at Zundat International at their local office at Kansanga.

Profile of Zundat International.

With the joint effort of both the Ugandan government and private investors there is great hope that Uganda will be a force to reckon with in the BPO sector. This is because the country is blessed with a good customer service culture, improved internet coverage, improved power generation and an indegenious English speaking population, all these which are vital in the success of the BPO sector.