The Power of Collective Action: Lessons from Bees and Ugandan Youth

Introduction

The concept of strength in numbers has been recognized as a powerful tool for overcoming individual weaknesses and achieving greater goals. This idea is exemplified by the behavior of bees, which operate in large groups to protect themselves and achieve their objectives. Additionally, the entrepreneurial practices of Ugandan youth demonstrate how collective action can help overcome individual weaknesses and build successful businesses. This article explores the significance of collective action and unity in achieving success and overcoming challenges.

Strength in Numbers: Lessons from Bees

Bees are fragile insects with a powerful weapon: their sting. However, once a bee uses its sting, it becomes defenseless. To protect themselves and achieve their objectives, bees operate in large groups consisting of several or even millions of bees. This strategy allows them to overwhelm their enemies and achieve their goals. Humans can learn from this example and harness the power of collective action to overcome their own weaknesses and achieve their objectives.

Leveraging Geometric Progression to Build Networks

The concept of geometric progression is a powerful tool for building networks and mobilizing resources. By leveraging this mathematical principle, individuals and communities can mobilize resources and work towards common goals. For example, if a group of 10,000 people each contributes 100 shillings per day, they can generate 1,000,000 shillings per day or 365,000,000 shillings per year. This capital can be used to achieve significant progress in areas such as development and entrepreneurship.

Let us take Tanzania as a case study. In Tanzania, over 9.9 million adults (36% of the population) live in poverty, working low-paying jobs to make ends meet. But what if each person contributed just 100 Tanzanian shillings (TZS) to a common fund every day? The combined contributions would generate a staggering 993.6 million TZS per day, adding up to 362.7 billion TZS per year (or 145.08 million US dollars at current exchange rates).

If a unity fund were set up to collect these contributions, it would take only 16 days to enroll almost 9.6 million members. Here’s how: 100 founding members recruit two new members each day, who in turn recruit two new members every day, and so on. By day 16, the fund would have reached its target membership of 9.9 million individuals, with 1.6 million members unable to recruit any newer members.

In Tanzania, where 36% of the adult population is very poor, collective action and unity can play a vital role in achieving progress. By leveraging the power of strength in numbers and geometric progression, individuals and communities can mobilize resources and work towards common goals. This can lead to significant progress in areas such as development, entrepreneurship, and poverty reduction.

This example showcases the power of collective action and unity. By leveraging the concept of geometric progression, individuals and communities can pool their resources and work together to achieve common goals. This approach can drive significant progress in areas such as poverty reduction, development, and entrepreneurship.

Lessons from Ugandan Youth Entrepreneurship

The concept of strength in numbers can be applied to various contexts, including entrepreneurship. Let’s compare the entrepreneurial culture of Tanzanian and Ugandan youth. In Uganda, it’s common to find a group of five or six young people operating a shop in commercial areas. At first glance, one might assume that they are hired by the shop owner, but that’s not the case. In fact, these young people are the shop owners themselves, and they work together to overcome the high rent costs in commercial areas.

By pooling their resources, they rent a business premise together, obtain one license, and file their income tax jointly. Each person owns a separate collection of products to avoid confusion. This strategy allows them to do big business in prime commercial areas while spending less money individually.

On the other hand, Tanzanian youth often struggle with limited capital and rarely venture into commercial areas. Instead, they set up their businesses away from commercial areas to save on rent costs. However, these businesses are short-lived as the purchasing power of people in non-commercial areas is low, and expenses quickly overtake revenue.

To overcome this weakness, Tanzanian youth could learn from the Ugandan model and collaborate to rent commercial spaces and sell products that cater to local demand. By using the strength in numbers approach, they could achieve greater success and profitability.

Ugandan youth have demonstrated the power of collective action in entrepreneurship. By collaborating and renting business premises together, they can overcome the challenge of high rents and achieve success in commercial areas. This example highlights the importance of collaboration and unity in achieving success and overcoming challenges.

Conclusion

This article highlights the significance of collective action and unity in overcoming individual weaknesses and achieving greater goals. The lessons from bees and Ugandan youth demonstrate the power of strength in numbers and the benefits of leveraging geometric progression to build networks and mobilize resources. By embracing these principles, individuals and communities can achieve significant progress in various areas and overcome their challenges.