Our OD Young Person of the Month is Howard Mwesigwa from Uganda. Howard Mwesigwa is a lawyer by professional training with a keen inclination to Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Law & Policy. He is the Speaker – National Environment Parliament, Chairperson – European Union Youth Sounding Board (EUYSB) and the Team Leader at the Climate Action Leadership Incubator. He is also the Team Leader – Energy, Environment and Sustainability Department at Kalikumutima & Co. Advocates.
Read his amazing story below and be inspired.
HOWARD MWESIGWA
Howard is a seasoned advocate for sustainable development leveraging the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Agenda 2030 as the touchstone. His expertise and experience particularly encapsulate SDG 7 on clean and affordable energy and SDG 13 on climate action. He has undertaken energy and climate justice advocacy at national, regional and international fora. He is passionate about youth led action especially in the context of energy and climate justice and strongly believes that young people can, if well-organized, make a difference. For over a decade, he has preoccupied himself with the representation, inspiration and leadership of young people all the way from the grassroots to the national, regional and international levels. He has been able to metamorphose from an energy and climate activist to a young professional in the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources landscape.
On How He Started
Howard started out as a student leader in school, all the way from the primary, to the secondary and tertiary levels. He eventually metamorphosed into a youth advocate for good governance and meaningful youth inclusion in decision making processes. Howard later found my niche as a youth energy and climate justice advocate. His inspiration has been the unfaltering desire to contribute my part to the creation of better world for all, even for posterity.
On His Successes
Howard has been able to contribute to the amplification of the voice of the young people in decision making, all the way from the grassroots, to the national, regional and international levels. He has also been able to demonstrate with his own achievements, that young people, if given the opportunity and latitude, can make the difference.
On His Challenges and Future Plans
With the Climate Action Leadership Incubator (CALI), Howard hopes to reach out to many more young people not only in Uganda but also in East Africa and across the continent to engage, empower and enable them contribute to the global efforts towards addressing the triple-planetary crisis, that is; climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Through the National Environment Parliament Uganda, He hopes, as Speaker, to steer the initiative to grander heights by engaging more rural communities in Uganda that are at the very fore front of the climate crisis in Uganda, and engaging more policy makers and stakeholders to contribute to the augmentation of environmental stewardship in Uganda.
One of the major obstacles Howard has encountered has been instances where stakeholders and potential partners have doubted what he is able to deliver as a young person, as a budding energy and climate justice advocate. He overcame this by being diligent in the little he has been entrusted with, thereby proving himself. The other obstacle has been the limited access to the requisite funding to scale the projects he is currently involved in. The solution to this has been working with the little available. This has had the effect of unlocking more finance and he is grateful to the Lord for that!
His Words of Advice For The Youth
I encourage fellow young people to take time and discover what they are passionate about and what their natural abilities are, and to leverage these to contribute to finding solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in their communities. I also encourage young people never to give up on their aspirations and dreams regardless of how far-fetched they might feel or seem. As young people, we can and do indeed make the difference. We need only bear this in mind and take tangible steps, one at a time, until we achieve each and every one of the goals we set.
You can connect with Howard Mwesigwa on Twitter and LinkedIn.
You can be the next Opportunity Desk Young Person of the Month! All you have to do is get a friend to recommend your work or fill out the nomination form here. We want to use the platform to recognize and celebrate the efforts of amazing young people around the world. Oh! And you must be an active Opportunity Desk member, either as a fan, reader, or subscriber! Share!
