A fresh effort to demystify President Yoweri Museveni’s economic philosophy—popularly referred to as Musevenomics—has been launched, with youth activists urging students to approach it as a practical, human-centred guide to personal and national development.

Dr. Sharon Okello Nagenjwa, a wildlife conservationist, entrepreneur, and founder of the Triumph Women Initiative and Nuwebiz Foundation, made the appeal during an economic empowerment lecture at Ebenezer University in Lira, where she addressed more than 1,000 students.

Dr. Okello, who describes herself as “The Girl From Oyam,” said her new nationwide youth empowerment drive seeks to translate Museveni’s long-standing economic principles into simple, everyday actions that young people can adopt as part of their lifestyle.

“For me, Musevenomics is humanity,” she told students. “It starts from the heart—integrity, discipline, skills—and ends with the harvest, which is productivity and income. That is why this campaign is called ‘The Heart Before the Harvest’.”

Tracing Museveni’s Economic Thought

She noted that her interest deepened after a discussion with Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho (Salim Saleh), who challenged her to examine Uganda’s progress in industrialisation—one of President Museveni’s core economic priorities for decades.

According to Dr. Okello, while government investments have expanded local production capacity, many Ugandans remain unaware of these gains, and the country’s emerging bottleneck now lies in accessing markets rather than building factories.

She argued that Museveni’s broader economic message—skills development, discipline, value addition, and enterprise—has often been lost in technical language, leaving many young people disengaged.

“Musevenomics is not politics and it is not complicated economics,” she said. “It is our daily life. You may not always have cash, but skills are capital. Work is economics. Creativity is economics.”

She cited her own experience of turning personal challenges into the Triumph Women Initiative, a platform that documents and packages stories of women surmounting adversity, which later evolved into a digital brand attracting partnerships and income.

Students as Agents of Community Sensitisation

The campaign will prioritise university and tertiary students, whom Dr. Okello said are well-positioned to transfer knowledge to their home communities.

“University students are our ambassadors,” she said. “When they return home, they will carry this doctrine to the grassroots. That is how transformation spreads.”

She emphasised that the initiative is not politically financed.

“No coin has been given to me,” she said. “I love this doctrine because it works, and I want people to understand it.”

Sector Leaders Back the Initiative

Kakebe Technologies Director Sedric Otolo, a co-organiser of the lecture, said Museveni’s economic teachings offer practical guidance for a new generation of business owners.

“It is about ideas that move the country forward,” he said. “Regardless of what one studies, business literacy is essential. Economics and ICT should be compulsory subjects.”

Kabejja Dorcus, a medical student at Lira University, said the session opened her eyes to the centrality of skills in navigating the competitive job market.

“A skill can save a human,” she said. “We need innovation-based training to survive in times when formal jobs are limited.”

Ebenezer University Academic Registrar, Dr. Joseph Esiana, said the event aligned with the institution’s focus on innovation and entrepreneurship.

“More than a thousand students have been equipped with practical skills in creativity, innovation, and business incubation,” he said. “Musevenomics remains a viable model for socio-economic transformation.”

He recommended that the programme be held annually and that promising student projects receive seed capital.

Expanding the Reach

Dr. Okello said her long-term goal is to inspire young people to view economics through the lens of responsibility, service, and personal agency—principles that President Museveni has consistently emphasised.

“I work for people, and in the process, I benefit,” she said. “Young Ugandans must move from subsistence to the money economy. When understood well, this doctrine can take them there.”

The initiative has so far reached 12 institutions and 1,600 students, with plans to roll out to more universities and build a national network of youth ambassadors promoting skills, enterprise, and productivity.