Amos Masaba Wekesa, is a businessman, entrepreneur and corporate executive in Uganda, who is the founder, proprietor and managing director of Great Lakes Safaris Limited, a tour operating company, in the African Great Lakes region.[1] His conglomerate of related tour businesses grosses an estimated US$8 million annually, and employs in excess of 250 people.[1]
Amos Wekesa | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 April 1973 Lwakhakha, Namisindwa District, Uganda |
| Alma mater | Wairaka College (Uganda Certificate of Education) St. Peter's College Tororo (Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education) Tourism School in Kampala (Certificate in Tourism) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, entrepreneur and corporate executive |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Known for | Great Lakes Safaris Limited |
| Title | Founder, proprietor and managing director |
| Spouse | Susan Wekesa |
Background and education edit
Wekesa was born on 22 April 1973, in Lwakhakha, Uganda, a border town at the international border with Kenya. His family was of very modest means.[1][2]
When he was ten years old, missionaries from the Salvation Army came and offered him sponsorship to elementary school. He transferred to the town of Tororo, where he completed his elementary school, under sponsorship from the Salvation Army.[1][2]
He went on to complete his O-Level education at Wairaka College, in Wairaka, Jinja District. He then transferred to St. Peter's College Tororo, where he completed his A-Level studies. He then studied at a tourism school in Kampala, Uganda's capital city, graduating with a Certificate in Tourism, nine months later.[1]
Career edit
From 1997 until 2001, he worked in four different tour operating companies as a lowly-paid office employee. In 2001, with US$200 in savings, without a motor vehicle and with his office underneath a staircase, in Kampala, Amos Wekesa founded Great Lakes Safaris Limited.[1][2] His other investments include Uganda Lodges Limited, a collection of four unique eco-friendly safari facilities: (a) Simba Safari Camp Limited in Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) (b) Elephant Plains Limited in QENP (c) Primate Lodge Limited in Kibaale National Park and (d) Budongo Eco Lodge Limited in Murchison Falls National Park.[1][2][3]
Family edit
Amos Wekesa is married to Susan Amy Wekesa and together are the parents of three children, two sons and one daughter.[1][4]
Other considerations edit
He sits on a number of corporate boards, including as a member of the board of directors of the Uganda Tourism Board. He is a former president of the Uganda Tourism Association and the current chairman of the Tourism Technical Working Group of the Presidential Investment Round Table, with Babra Adoso as a fellow tourism representavie.[1]
In 2019, Wekesa plans to take up motivational speaking as a paying engagement. He also plans to build a hotel in the city of Entebbe, in the next four years.[5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bamuturaki Musinguzi, and Apolinari Tairo (18 May 2019). "No Mean Feat Selling Tourism in East Africa". The East African. Nairobi. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Interview with Amos Wekesa Masaba, managing director of Great Lakes Safaris". Madrid, Spain: The Report Company in partnership with The New York Times International Edition. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Okafor, Lovelyn (11 December 2014). "The trials and Victories of Amos Masaba Wekesa, East Africa's Tourism Pioneer". Lagos, Nigeria: Konnectafrica.net. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Uganda Christian News (3 May 2017). "I avoid people that try to discourage my spirit – Amos Wekesa". Kampala: Ugchristiannews.com. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Watchdog Uganda (16 November 2018). "Tourism entrepreneur Wekesa to start charging for public speaking appearances". Kampala: Watchdoguganda.com. Retrieved 19 May 2019.