Medical assesories will do, but at this time in Nigeria, computer Flash Drives, Memory Chips, Computer parts and so on are useful hot cakes. You need to send and auction whole sale. You see we play third world with China and India by stretch, but US computer industry might be useful as a base in trying to establish computer parts related business with Nigeria.

My company is not that accessible, we have clients but here is my email…sunsetstudios@hotmail.com. That you lost…money in US stock market is a mantra, a practice in misinformation, probably a lie. From my business experience, those who lost money hardly speak of it. You are trying to find out what you can do with 25 thousand Niara in Nigeria without paying consultation fee.

Thanks for the warning. Im planning on going back to Ugnada to start up a business. Im Ugnadan but have eneve lived there. Its bound to be an expereince but i have always nown to keep a third eye out nomatter where in the world i am – from the streets of LA to the city of Johannesburg. Always keep a third eye open.

Gudluck!

I think you’re going about this the wrong way. I’m American, live in London, but have lived in and keep a house in Kampala.

First, I think you’re paying too much for your rent. For an $800 house in the suburbs of Kampala, you should be getting something like 6 bedrooms on an acre of land. I don’t think you need a mansion, do you? I have, for instance, a very nice house in Namuwongo–just one kilometer from Garden City–and pay less than $500 a month.

Second, I think you’re being ripped off too much. Everyone gets ripped off, but you’ve jumped in the deep end without testing out the water. If you lived in Kampala first for a couple of months, renting out a room in a guest house for maybe $250 a month, you’d see that you can get very fine furniture made cheaply. A custom-made double bed, for instance, using heavy wood, cured and varnished, with dresser, would cost you about $100 (mattress is extra). A fine dining table, custom-made, with guarantee against warping, costs about 160,000 shillings–and that includes six chairs (an equivalent set in Europe would cost you over €700). In short, I think you rushed into moving in too fast.

Third, use logic. $20,000 in Africa–anywhere in Africa–is a lot of money. You can live very well, in fact, on less than $7000 a year. If someone asks you for 6 months’ rent up-front, it’s your job to negotiate. Yes, it is standard practice–for Africans. You are not African. You have a credit card. You have money. There is no need to let them tie you up like that. Generally, you don’t give up so much space in the negotiation unless you’re getting lots back; for instance, maybe the landlord will renovate before you move in or put in a three-phase wire for you or install a new roof–and that’s why they need the money. But if you’re not getting anything back, it’s because you’re actually receiving it–from behind.

Uganda is like a slow leak. You come with a container full of water, but end up with nothing. Living in Uganda–and anywhere in Africa–means learning how to plug up those leaks.

James.