On the evening of October 21, a recognisable number youths from around Kampala convened at the French Ambassador’s residence in Nakasero, where they got the opportunity to hobnob, share ideas and make merry with the French community in Uganda including the Ambassador Stephanie Rivoal. This was at the recent ‘Meet the Boss’, the fourth edition that was also dubbed the ‘French Edition’.
The interactive event, the brainchild of Philbert Kagangure and his team at Uptown Solutions, sets out to provide young budding professionals from all career paths with an amiable and tranquil environment to socialize with those at the top of their game, in the hope that they will experience a new and informal way of marketing and an having enjoyable learning experience.
Ambassador Rivoal hosted the event as the ‘Boss of the night’ (a term used to refer to the host/speaker), a task she carried out easily with grace and poise: leaving many feeling at home.
She was later joined by other guests on the panel: Florentin de Loppinot, the director of Total Marketing and Services; Elisabeth Schimells, director of Alliance Francaise de Kampala; Manon Lavaud; co-founder and CEO, Musana Carts Uganda and Andrew Kyamagero of Galaxy FM, who emceed at the event.
In her presentation Ambassador Rivoal warned the youths against the love of quick money and instead urged them to work hard, citing agriculture as the next ‘Big Thing’, a good investment for the young people in Uganda.
She thanked the organizers for giving the youthful individuals an opportunity to come together and share ideas, revealing that the French Government had a number of planned youth projects across East-Africa.
On her part Florentin Loppinot pointed out the need for exposure through travelling.
“It (travel) exposes you to different cultures, languages and this helps one learn a lot,” she said, and implored the youth to be fully committed to their work if they were to succeed.
The main organizer, Philbert Kagangure, noted that Uganda has the ‘youngest’ population of youths in Africa, which needs to be tapped.
“Uganda has one of the youngest populations in Africa. We are beautifully endowed with young enterprising citizens; however they need guidance, inspiration and empowerment to harness their increasingly innovative energy. As Uptown we pledge allegiance to create a platform that can catapult the efforts of young entrepreneurs hence creating a paradigm shift in our economy,” Kagangure said.
Later during the night, there was a fashion show courtesy of young talent Victoria Merab, who designed Ambasador Rivoal’s dress for the night under her design label, Baylor House Uganda.
Also at the event, the latest issue of the Meet the Boss magazine was launched and Ambassador Rivoal awarded a certificate of appreciation to its staff.
The French, known for their hospitality, ensured that all the guests were at ease as entertainers Michael Kitanda, the Harmonics Acapella Band and the French Rapper-Kongoloko spiced up the night with their various forms of art.
The organizers of the event included the French Embassy, Property Services, AER Lounge, and Pine Apple Bay, and most of those in attendance said they looked forward to the next edition.
