KAMPALA (AEA) — The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) of Uganda on Thursday launched a nationwide initiative to transform corporate leadership standards, arguing that rigid, “command-and-control” management styles are the primary bottleneck to Uganda’s economic growth.
NSSF Managing Director Patrick Ayota, speaking at a high-level forum in Kampala, unveiled the “Imagine Me Africa” partnership, a coaching-driven leadership program.
Ayota’s address was uncharacteristically candid, revealing that the $5.4 billion (UGX 20 trillion) fund had struggled with internal silos and bureaucratic inertia before adopting a more collaborative management model.
“In the past, leadership in Uganda has been synonymous with being the person who has all the answers,” Ayota told a room of CEOs and public sector heads.
“But we found that this ‘know-it-all’ culture stifles innovation. At NSSF, we had to admit that our managers were great at technical tasks but poor at people development. We are now exporting this realization to the rest of the country.”
Uganda’s economy is projected to grow by 6% in the current fiscal year, but productivity per worker remains among the lowest in the East African Community (EAC). The NSSF initiative aims to train 5,000 corporate and public sector leaders by 2027 in “coaching-based leadership,” focusing on emotional intelligence and decentralized decision-making.
The timing of this push is critical. Uganda is currently navigating the “Mid-Term Access” payouts to savers, which has put a spotlight on the fund’s liquidity and administrative efficiency. Critics of the fund have often pointed to the slow turnaround times and the perceived opacity of public institutions in Kampala.
“The NSSF is trying to lead by example,” said financial consultant Mary Katushabe. “If the largest fund in the region says its management style was the problem, it forces every other parastatal to look in the mirror.
However, changing culture is far more difficult than changing a policy on paper.”
The program is expected to be integrated into the mandatory training for high-level civil servants, signaling a shift in how the Yoweri Museveni administration views human capital development as a pillar of its National Development Plan III.
