Leaders must comprehensively understand the challenges confronting the society they serve.
All positions of responsibility in our private and public spheres of life require impressive practical leadership qualities. Recently, the region has been criticised for not producing enough good leaders. It’s a criticism that needs an immediate positive response.
That response can only be built after deliberate preparation.
All current leaders in their respective positions are therefore called upon to support this specific objective as much as other Busoga’s short- and long-term goals. It’s a worthy and noble objective.
All leadership in, around and about Busoga must learn and become responsive, honest, efficient, enlightened, fair and accountable. These traits will act as reliable guiding principles and lay a strong foundation on which our community will be uplifted; they come together to participate in an open and neutral dialogue on the critical issues that affect us all.
These leadership qualities will be a great representation of the Busoga region. They will help root the ability to envision and build an economically secure, environmentally sound and socially viable future.
Leadership Roles in Busoga
Leaders should be able to fully understand the challenges facing the society they serve and seek to take advantage of opportunities within the community to curb those challenges—in cooperation with whomever it affects. They shouldn’t just talk about them but build the stimulus required to empower community members to be a close partner in resolving the pressing issues in their respective communities.
Much like a child, societies are shaped by their guardians. The guardian is the most important part of the foundational growth.
Leaders must love Busoga, its vision and all its representations. They are the ones to create, justify and amend the rules and regulations accordingly for the vision in sight.
They must have a clear, practical plan that details steps to empower the region, broker valuable relationships, and build and leverage resources for the region’s shared goal.
Leaders bridge and heal divisions between individuals and communities by encouraging members to be part of the process of making meaningful decisions that affect their lives.
Unity is a powerful element that demands determined attention. So there is a need to build strong structures to create and maintain a strong sense of unity in the region—an organised collaboration among people.
Good leaders are expected to organise the construction, facilitation and accessibility of quality public facilities such as municipal buildings, schools, parks, libraries, a recycling centre, police, fire, ambulance, information dissemination, sewer pathways and public services.
Leaders in their respective positions must embrace the socio-economic plans to kick out the major problems in the Busoga region—poverty, illiteracy and poor health—guided by a strong spirit of togetherness.
For the Busoga region to execute the ideals presented and eventually achieve its vision, it must adopt new behavioural patterns and inject them into our already established cultural aspects of life. It’s inevitable and essential.
Our physical and mental space, behaviours and ways of thinking must be adjusted to match and align with the demands of the set vision—of becoming a truly recognised literate society.
The reality is our beliefs and daily behavioural approaches to issues have an enormous influence on how we eventually perform in the management, self-handling, interaction and execution of the process and in specific activities that will drive us to the set vision.
There is a need to take deliberate steps to infer and expressly define the mentality that shapes our lives, to let it all cumulatively sink in and develop organically over time. The new aligned behaviours to our vision will then be ingrained in every aspect of our lives, allowing them to become part of our new societal fabric.
Especially in the wake of the modern globalised economy and the increased international interactions, we must develop a ‘think locally and act globally’ mentality. This mentality will foster a more comprehensive, creative, collective view of our issues.
The international community is continually shaping local trends in all communities worldwide, so it wouldn’t be wise to ignore that fact. With Busoga’s vision, it would be impossible.
We must be aware of and in touch with what is happening elsewhere in the world. This awareness must be reflected in all community-wide value systems, management strategies, communication routes, relations, environment, attitude, specialised training, and traditional reflections.
Recreation and Cultural Heritage
Any community that has ever been invaded and conquered has had a significant amount of its cultural history destroyed, especially those in Africa.
Humans are biologically the same, but the world’s beauty lies in the diversity of people distinguished by their cultures. The presence of cultural differences shouldn’t be a composition that divides people but rather a reflection of the richness of life. It helps to preserve traditions that don’t harm individuals. They are a part of identity.
It is ideal for revitalising and encouraging the beauty of the cultural heritage that helps define who we are.
No tourists want to travel only to find more of what they already have. We need to encourage recreational and cultural activities, as they are proven to nurture the body and soul of a community. All local sports, outdoor activities, art, crafts, music, dance, theatre, festivals, celebrations and cultural artefacts should be cherished and preserved. Cultural activities reflect and build a community’s positive sense of self and strengthen the fabric of social interactions within that community.
A Region of Informed Citizenry
The future of Busoga is a future of informed and literate citizens who actively participate in building and maintaining an admirable healthy community. It’s the leader’s responsibility to ensure these qualities are created and maintained.
Informed and valuable active participants in any society are enthused and eager to serve their community in varying sectors. Active citizens vote in local elections, serve on local boards, attend public hearings and are involved in civic organisations. Also, they participate in volunteer activities and different other related services.
Busoga needs to take deliberate steps to increase local pride and commitment to its vision, developmental initiatives and all related efforts in planning and surmounting the shared challenges.
A sense of pride in one’s community is an intangible yet vital component of a community. It encompasses elements such as image, spirit, character, communication, intergroup relations and networking.
This 21st-century modern global world is increasingly ushering in new challenges that make some municipal operations complex. The national central government, with its limitations, is challenged to meet all local needs efficiently.
With this reality being a common phenomenon, especially in the Busoga region, it is evident that notable leadership is mainly required to reduce the problems faced in the region by coming up with long-term solutions.
Strong leadership is expected to encourage all sectors within the region—private, public, and non-profit—to be a part of the region’s civic responsibilities and contribute to them generously and to the vision of the Busoga region. It’s this vision that unites us all as a single entity.