BrighterMonday Uganda Limited CEO, Brian Ntambirweki spoke to The Independent on how the company is using technology to connect employers to best candidates and job seekers.
Briefly talk about BrighterMonday Uganda?
BrighterMonday Uganda was established in 2015 and quickly became the best job site in the country. In 2016, BrighterMonday Uganda’s parent company, One Africa Media was acquired by Ringier AG to form the Ringier One Africa Media Group. ROAM operates in 8 countries across Africa; with a mission to connect Africans to opportunities. From 2017 to 2020, BrighterMonday Uganda has been serving its clients out of BrighterMonday Kenya’s offices in Nairobi. In 2021, BrighterMonday re-opened its Uganda office and we have streamlined our operations and re-focused our efforts to better serve employers and deliver services centred on efficiency and cost effectiveness through the use of world class tech coupled with impeccable customer care.
Could you share some success stories that BrighterMonday has so far recorded over the years…?
BrighterMonday has built the largest database of quality jobseekers. This has been our differentiating factor, and we currently have a database of over 190,000 profiles. We have also managed to develop a wide range of products for employers to ease their recruitment processes based on customer feedback and data that have defined market needs. In June 2021, we revised our rate cards and reduced our prices significantly in light of the economic climate and we have received positive feedback from our customers. This month, we are launching the #UnityinAdversity initiative that has had massive success across ROAM Jobs; with a further offering of 10% discount on all our products. We thrive on listening to the pulse in the market and responding accordingly with the right products and pricing. We are a data-driven company that focuses on feedback to serve the market needs.
Isn’t this a bad time for BrighterMonday to re-enter Uganda given that employers are cutting the number of employees due to COVID-19 hit among other factors?
We have developed a number of initiatives to support Ugandan businesses through these uncertain times and have revised our prices downwards to enable businesses to still hire despite COVID-19. Our #UnityinAdversity initiative is exactly what companies need to keep going through this pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has no doubt created economic uncertainty, however, the expected upswing in economic growth after 2022 and commercialisation of the oil & gas sector will see Uganda’s economy grow at unprecedented rates. We are very optimistic about the future and believe that the Ugandan economy is resilient and has staved off other economic shocks like the Global Economic Crisis in 2007 – 2009. BrighterMonday is maintaining a long-term view, and positioning as the recruitment partner of choice to companies to aid them through and beyond the COVID-19 shocks.
Your thoughts on how the government of Uganda can best deal with the unemployment problem which continues to be the talk of the day?
According to the African Development Bank, around 10-12million young people enter the labor market annually with access to only 3 million jobs across the continent. This points to a massive challenge that requires proactive solutions. Every private sector actor and the wider population at large need to play a role in reshaping the way we work as well as focusing on developing appropriate skills for the market. The pandemic has created some opportunities; the demand for remote work is going to increase, meaning that a Ugandan can work for any internationally based company without traveling, especially in service-oriented and high-tech companies. We need to skill people especially in the digital space, the same skills that made countries like India and China the cornerstone of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Companies. There are also opportunities in equipping the youth with skills to start their own enterprises especially in the digital economy.
What professional advice would you offer to persons that have lost jobs due to COVID-19?
Losing a job is a traumatic experience especially during such a harrowing time amidst a pandemic and extreme uncertainty. However, despite the current circumstances, focus should be on maintaining a positive mindset, self-improvement, and planning for when opportunity arises. I’d also advise people to look at the economic trends and seek opportunities in the essential sectors that have managed to sustain the shock from COVID-19.
What’s your last message?
BrighterMonday Uganda is a caring partner and is working with companies to provide recruitment solutions tailored to business needs. On the other hand, we are here to avail as many job opportunities as we can – and continuously connect the right job seekers to the right jobs.
