From Tourism to Agro-processing: Wekesa the Hustler

Abstract

As Great Lakes Safaris, a Ugandan tour and travel company, expanded, so did the needs of its clients. This prompted the company’s proprietor, Amos Masaba Wekesa, to diversify to closely related fields to accommodate this demand. He spotted opportunities in the Ugandan National Parks, where he built several eco-friendly lodges. Relatedly, he took advantage of the blue waters of Lake Victoria to branch into marine tourism and co-patterned with his friends to buy their first water bus—MV Kazinga. However, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the tourism industry, pushing Wekesa into the unrelated agro-processing business. The birth of his new venture, PELA Commodities Limited (PCL), was circumstantial and a survival backup plan due to the COVID-19 disruptions. As life returns to normal, Wekesa has to think critically about his diversification strategy and ensure he is well-positioned for success in his tourism and agro-processing businesses. He is worried that his new PLC business could become a distraction to his core Tourism business. He wonders if this will not stretch his current resources or devalue the quality of his services.