By Nicholas Akasula
Isaac Ssekisambu is a corporate lawyer, business consultant and Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Ubuntu Center Africa, where he is committed to helping entrepreneurs turn bold ideas into sustainable businesses.
Describing himself as “a Ugandan passionate about empowering others”, Ssekisambu spends much of his time training entrepreneurs and equipping them with the skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive business environment.
“As a business person, I always put God first, seeking His wisdom ahead of everything. I am guided by my faith and key scriptures: Matthew 7:7, ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you’ — and Matthew 6:33, ‘But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,'” he says.
Humble beginnings
Ssekisambu says his journey is rooted in humble beginnings. Growing up, he often heard stories of how his father hawked goods to provide for the family.
“His resilience taught me the value of hard work and seeing opportunities in everyday challenges,” he says.
Professionally, he has more than six years of experience managing youth-led projects in international non-governmental organisations, as well as over four years as a business consultant. He believes this has given him a strong foundation in law, leadership and entrepreneurship support.
Today, he combines his legal expertise with business consultancy to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), women entrepreneurs and young people across East Africa.
At Ubuntu Center Africa, he leads sustainability training, profitability workshops, compliance guidance and youth job-readiness programmes.
“I started my entrepreneurial journey while still in high school between 2017 and 2019 before moving into NGO work and consultancy. However, my active transition into business coaching came about three years ago,” he explains.
Ssekisambu says his passion for coaching stems from his desire to see more African businesses succeed, noting that many start-ups fail within their first three years.
“I want Uganda to become a hub for innovation and investment, attracting global partnerships while fostering home-grown solutions. I’ve helped launch ventures such as Edagogy Uganda by building websites and helping founders clarify their vision. I have also worked with more than 10 entrepreneurs in the USA, India, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to test ideas and develop products that meet market needs,” he says.
He believes empowering entrepreneurs to solve real community problems contributes to reducing unemployment while inspiring young people and women to pursue business opportunities.
Building entrepreneurs
Ubuntu Center Africa is an upskilling centre that supports SMEs and young people across East Africa through programmes such as Coffee Hour and the Business Club, which aim to address leadership and business development gaps.
“We serve hundreds of entrepreneurs through tailored training programmes with an expanding international network. We focus on identifying unmet needs and encouraging innovation that enables communities to become self-reliant,” Ssekisambu says.
Beyond his role at Ubuntu, he says coaching has opened doors to partnerships, public speaking opportunities and the satisfaction of seeing clients build sustainable businesses.
He has also mobilised young people to participate in volunteer initiatives through Zenji and supported career coaching programmes under Prepare Consultants.
Looking ahead, Ssekisambu envisions Uganda becoming Africa’s leading innovation hub by expanding Ubuntu’s business clubs, attracting investment and scaling entrepreneurship training across the continent.
Overcoming challenges
Despite the progress, Ssekisambu acknowledges that the journey has not been without challenges.
“Executive leadership demands continuous learning, accepting failure and building teams that are even better than yourself. I have struggled with low self-esteem, but I overcame it by staying informed about business trends, law and emerging skills, while sharing knowledge to strengthen my personal brand,” he says.
At the organisational level, he points to leadership isolation and burnout caused by pursuing ambitious goals without strong systems in place.
“Many SMEs fail because of poor execution or ignoring changing market trends. However, I have learnt the importance of listening, adapting and involving experts where necessary,” he says.
