The 2025 National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Career Expo has entered its third day at Makerere University Business School (MUBS), with experts emphasizing the importance of building strong networks, managing finances responsibly, and prioritizing personal well-being.
The day’s discussions centered on “Smart Money Moves,” drawing a large crowd of students and young professionals eager to gain insights into financial management, career development, and personal growth.
Tony Otoa the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) a key speaker on April 3 2025 delivered an impactful message stressing the evolving nature of professional success and the significance of social capital and prioritizing personal well being.
“Every great person you see today has a story behind them. Today intelligence quotient (IQ) is being replaced by Emotional quotient (EQ) and Social Quotient (SQ). Your network is your net worth,” Otoa said.
Otoa also addressed the critical aspect of financial literacy, warning against the pressures of social media-driven consumerism, saying building a good credit score is more essential today as ones financial behavior goes into their credit records.
“We live in a world of social media where there is a lot of social pressure to live lavishly like those you see. Don’t let the pressure get to you, take your time and grow your income slowly,” he advised.
Most importantly he emphasized choosing and working with supportive peer groups that develop one as an individual and not those that lead to one to self destruction.
“Make the circle around full of people who will add value to you, separate your needs from your wants, do you really need an iPhone 16 now? Do you need a car now? Only long for something if it is adding value to you for example if you are using that iPhone 16 to shoot content and make money, it then makes sense,” he emphasized.
According to Marjorine Nantambi, the Finance and Personal Growth Coach the best university in the world is YouTube. And the best time to start is right now, not tomorrow, not next week, it is now.
“We only get to blame our parents for what they didn’t do until we turn 18, after that your life is your responsibility, the life you dream of it’s out there and it’s 100% possible, every challenge you go through is shaping you, strengthening you might be hard, might feel impossible at times but you will get through it,” she advised.
She further emphasized being intentional with what one feeds their mind because what one consumes will eventually shape what they become, therefore choose growth, choose purpose, choose you.
Edward Ochen the director legal and company secretary of ABSA bank Uganda said that while the desire for success natural one should resist the allure of ‘get rich quick ‘schemes.
“These scams exploit financial pressure and can lead to significant losses. Prioritize ethical and sustainable wealth building to avoid long term financial hardships,” Ochen advised.
Launched in 2010, the NSSF Career Expo aims to bridge the gap between education and employment by offering career guidance, job opportunities, and essential entrepreneurship skills to university students empowering them to navigate the complexities of career development and financial management
