{UAH} Shared from Amos Wekesa’s timeline. (Poets and public speakers, we could use this advice).

Marketing:
Shared from Amos Wekesa's timeline. (Poets and public speakers, we could use this advice).
One of the challenges I see for Uganda, is that many people, especially those in positions of responsibility, think that we need complicated solutions to our problems; or to grow our economy.
People will air out complicated suggestions when asked what Uganda needs; especially when it comes to improving our economy. It's actually the most basic thinking, leading to actions, that helps economies.
In four consecutive meetings, I have simply told some people who in my opinion can make a difference if they so choose, that Uganda now, simply needs marketing of its products and services. We would be shocked by the outcome.
Marketing has very many definitions, and I choose to associate with one defined by the 'New York Times' in 2017. It defined marketing as 'The art of telling stories that are so enthralling, that the people lose track of their wallets.'
Is there a better definition than that, above?
According to marketing, if I have never seen you or heard about you, then you actually don't exist. That means I can't deal with you or buy a product or service from you. Old economics says that one has to have heard about your product or service at least 27 times, before they can buy it.
That means that one person might need to hear it 1,000 times before they buy it, and another might need to hear it once, before they buy it. It's a game of averages. It's old economics; because technology has redefined marketing and now a customer is exposed to more products and services than before. You've got to constantly be in the market, for your product to be bought.
Old economics says that one satisfied client can inform 3 to 4 people and the dissatisfied one, can tell between 10 and 11 people. Because of technology today, one negative comment about your service can reach millions, costing you thousands in value. It's estimated that one negative review on Trip Advisor can cost you up to USD 200,000 value in business.
Today, agricultural produce like matooke, is going for shockingly low prices. Abiaz Rwamwiri recently told me, he has a lusuku/garden of matooke in Bushenyi, and they are currently giving out matooke freely, because of the low demand. Matooke went for as low as Ushs 1,000 for a bunch, which previously was Ushs 35,000.
I bought pineapple at ushs1,000 each in Luwero from a roadside vendor, who is also the middleman. How much is the farmer getting? How will that farmer believe it when you tell him that agriculture is our future? Which future is that? My Kenya Airways pilot friends tell me how there is so much demand for farm products in Dubai, China, Europe etc.
Some 'clever' people will argue that it's about standards.
I was introduced to a Kenyan gentleman, by Paul Mukasa, working with World Bank. He told me, he buys sweet potatoes from Ugandan farmers, packages them in Kenya and exports them to Eastern Europe. How about we think in the same directions?
Kenya and Ethiopian Airlines have survived the Covid-19 challenges by transporting cargo using passenger planes.
"Amos, we drop food to these markets, and it's like dropping a grain in an ocean of demand."
I know many people will argue that we don't have cargo planes. True, but if marketed aggressively, due to demand, we will find cargo planes to transport our foods to markets that are willing to pay better prices.
Uganda is probably the only country with 2 seasons for growing for example, maize. This season we are going to have a bumper harvest of maize, and it's going to be a challenge to farmers. Uganda has been producing 9m metric tonnes of maize. 4m metric tonnes are lost in poor post-harvest handling. Only 800,000 metric tonnes are dried and stored well.
We Ugandans eat 1m metric tonnes of maize annually and export the 4m to Tanzania, Kenya, Southern Sudan and Rwanda. Uganda needs at least processing and storage capacity of 2m metric tonnes. With that, the farmers will access better prices for their produce hence encourage farming as an economic activity.
Tourism and hospitality bring in big spending power for agro-products, but Covid-19 has let us down. Those restaurants and hotels support farmers heavily; through buying their products in bulk, but that isn't happening now, due to low demand of tourism services.
If we simply marketed Uganda with its agriculture products and tourism potential, Uganda would never need to borrow money at the scale it's doing now.
How can we get our TV presenters to engage these politicians on topical issues, like the above?

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"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"

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