Greetings and thank you all for coming.
As Leaders, Project Managers, Supervisors, and Facilitators, much of our effectiveness is measured by our ability to successfully turn ideas into reality while carefully balancing all project constraints.
According to Forbes, Project management is a professional trade that is omnipresent in any industry. Project managers are at the forefront of projects of various sizes: leading, managing and striving toward delivery. This has been our mandate throughout the past year and I encourage each of us to continue driving Project Management in our various spaces.
As we stand today, I am proud to announce that the PMI Uganda Chapter has gained membership of various professions which include the following – Engineers, Accountants, Doctors, Researchers, Agriculturalists, Social scientists, Business Owners, Lawyers etc.
Throughout the year, I have had several engagements with various stakeholders and I want to use this opportunity to address two important FAQs that recurred in most of these conversations;
1) You don’t have to be certified to be a member of PMI- PMI membership is for everyone certified, planning to certify or even those individuals that want to belong to a Professional body.
2) PMI has a number of certifications beyond the Project Management Professional (PMP). These can be found on the PMI website : https://www.pmi.org/certifications . I want to congratulate some of our members that have gone ahead and certified with the PMI-ACP, PMI-PgMP, PMI-PfMP, PMI-RMP and other Agile Certifications.
What have we achieved in the Year 2022?
The chapter has made significant milestone through its volunteers and Board members to serve the project management needs in marketplace in Uganda. We are happy to mention that during the 2022 we have successfully done the following: –
1) We are now 380 members, still growing to 400 by end of year. 150 members joined/rejoined this year.
2) Retention has also grown to 64% – the highest we have had since the inception of the Chapter.
3) PMP credential holders are now 210, up from 170 at the beginning of the year.
4) We held 8 learning Webinars in form of professional development for members.
5) We held 2 physical events, with over 100-member attendance.
6) We revamped and rebranded our website to make it user friendly and interactive. Check it out www.pmiuganda.org.
7) Relocated office to more accessible location in Ntinda, Salim Bay Road.
8) We have also employed a full time Chapter Administrator, who is vavailable to support the board in Chapter Operations.
9) The chapter was represented by 7 delegates at the PMI Africa Conference, in Lagos .
10) We have 3 delegates that will represent the Chapter at the PMI Global Summit in the USA which happens December 2022.
11) We Strengthened the Relationships with the Uganda Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. The MoFPDE issued a directive where all project managers, Project Officers and all project staff involved in Public Projects should be PMP® Certified. This will increase visibility of the chapter and also cement our position in the country as the Single Source of Project Management in the country.
12) We Signed 2 Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs)OU with AYE Word Foundation, and In Need Home both NGOs. The Chapter will support these NGOs with Project Management Trainings and skilling. This is directly linked to PMIs Broaden our Impact Reach.
13) With our Youth and Social Impact plan, we have reached and taught project management life skills to over 100 youths. Thanks to our 12 dedicated member volunteers for the time spent on volunteering their skills and knowledge serving the organizations that work with Youth and KCCA learning center.
14) The Chapter also signed MOUs with 2 PMI ATPs (Authorized Training Partners) : Crosslinks and MATABACUS. The chapter will continue to support its members by spotlighting the organizations or companies where they can Get the right trainings for their certification Journey.
15) We secured 3 Scholarships for the new PMI Certification- (PMI _CP) T PMI Construction Professional in Built Environments. These opportunities were extended to our volunteer members and these will be ambassadors for this new certification.
So, what next?
As our chapter will be celebrating 10 years anniversary in 2024, our chapter must transform and align with the PMI direction. We must ensure our chapter is sustainable for many 10 years to come. We have to focus on value creation, fun, and agile. Here are few initiatives that will be triggering this year:
1. Revisit the Chapter By-Law to align with our new chapter vision and values and meet the latest PMI requirements. We need passionate members to drive this effort and create meaning for the chapter, members, and our society. We still have a few vacancies on the Chapter Board that we would like you to fill in the 2nd quarter of 2023
2. The Chapter will be engaged more with community outreach. Primary and Secondary schools as well as Universities. We would like over 100 student members next year. We will also engage and reach out to Corporate and government in a special way.
3. The Chapter will continue to build Strategic Partnerships with other bodies, African Leadership Academy, Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) , Uganda Instituition of Professional Engineers (UIPE) and other member bodies such as Uganda Law Society and Human Resources Association of Uganda.
4. At the end of 2023 we would like to become 500 members, second to Kenya in Eastern Africa. Our chapter will not function without members and will not work without volunteers.
5. The Chapter will enable and empower our volunteers to turn ideas into reality. As of today, we have successfully recruited more than 30 volunteers from our chapter. We need many volunteers to help us create 10X impact and meaningful values for our chapter, members, and society. We believe if we can empower our volunteers with the necessary skills and knowledge, they will realize sustainable benefits and create meaningful values for you and our chapter. This is a win-win-win solution.
6. During the pandemic, Covid19 has proven that Digital Experience is the way forward to ensure value creation for all our members nationwide. Our chapter other most significant investment for next year is to revamp our website to provide more than just a bulletin board. This investment will include a job board, chapter dashboard, member directory, PDUs corner, Blogs, events, merchandise store, and many more.
7. The chapter also committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We will create a platform that belongs to every changemaker, including Women and Youth. Women in Project Management is restarting to ensure more activities to support and empower our ladies through project management. We also will empower our youth to turn ideas into reality and create better job opportunities within and beyond the chapter.
What do we need?
We need your active participation and constructive feedback. I am sure there will be many challenges ahead of us, but we will be vigilant, persevere, and resilient. I am sure we can do it because you are a group of passionate members who volunteer to make it happen.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank all the volunteers. Please stay safe and stay strong together. We will be able to go through this pandemic very soon.
Together We can do Great Things, Greater Things. Until we meet again, thank you.
Eng. Irene Nattabi, PMP®
President
PMI Uganda Chapter
Tel: +256 777 880 869/+256 704 005 210