DIARY OF AN UNDER 30 CEO: THE PAPER BAG EMPEROR

I was born in the rural area of Mbale, Uganda, I moved to Kampala on a half bursary to study at an advanced level. It later became a hurdle to cater for my needs while at school after my parents became unemployed. In 2008, at the age of 16, I saw a market opportunity in creating paper bags. As the Ugandan government leaned towards a ban on use of polythene plastic bags, I decided to venture into an environmentally friendly project of paper bag production.

With no initial capital, I cleaned the environment by collecting used plastic bottles and sold them to a plastic recycling plant. After I had raised my initial seed capital of 36,000 Ugandan shillings ($14), I soon started making paper bags at a small scale while still in high school.

In 2010, I registered my new company, Youth Entrepreneurial Link Investments (YELI). YELI was the first local registered paper bag and envelope producing company in Uganda.

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