Tuesday, 5.3. – Powerpoint without Power

I start the day with calling some more banks from my ‘garden office’ at the Dutchess and have an early lunch before taking a Boda-Boda to the university campus.

Calling Ugandan Banks from the 'MMU Dutchess Garden Office'

There, our ‘senior Banker’ Daniel (he is a retired banker from Stanbic and now works part-time as a lecturer for the BBDF Students) already expects me and guides me into the classroom where 20 curious students await my session on presentation techniques.

It turns out to be a challenge to explain skills in Powerpoint to students who do not even have that much experience in working with a Computer. So we start at a lower level and gradually work ourselves up into the idea of working on concepts and how to bring them on paper and communicate them to an audience. The session gets really challenging when the electric power is suddenly gone and the beamer does not work any longer. At that point, I am grateful for the battery in my laptop so at least I can continue with the presentation by explaining the contents I want to bring across.

Explaining Powerpoint without electric power

All in all the session is well received and I have the impression the students have just been introduced to a new universe. All I can do is encourage them to get their hands on a PC wherever they can get hold of it.

Daniel kindly gives me a lift to downtown in his car and over the afternoon I complete my list of banks that are going to be invited for the 14. March. All in all I have now touch-based with 11 commercial banks in Uganda and do hope we have raised their attention to the BBDF program and the event we are planning next week in Kampala. Together with a draft of the agenda for the 14. March I send over a package of the project documentation to Oliver Schmidt in order to give him an update and ensure we are on the same page.

Before closing the day, we have a follow-up call with Alexander and Michael in DB Frankfurt in order to discuss administrational aspects of the project as well as the status and progress made so far.