ANISHA BIRUNGI: The hustle generation: entrepreneurship, opportunity or survival?

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an opinion piece by Anisha Birungi examining the “hustle” economy among young Africans, with a focus on Kampala and the wider continent. The article argues that many young people are turning to street vending, boda boda riding, freelance digital work, online trading, content creation and small businesses as formal jobs remain limited and living costs rise. It frames this shift as both an expression of entrepreneurship and a response to economic hardship.

Birungi says the informal economy continues to absorb large numbers of young workers and that what is often dismissed as a side hustle is, for many, their main source of income. The piece highlights how technology has expanded access to freelancing, e-commerce, digital marketing and other online opportunities, while also noting that not everyone enters these activities by choice. Some, the article says, are pushed into self-employment because they cannot find secure work.

The commentary warns against romanticizing hustle culture. It says many informal workers face burnout, unstable earnings and limited access to finance, insurance, training, markets and social protection. It also draws a distinction between people who choose to start businesses and those who are forced into survival work by unemployment.

The article concludes that governments, financial institutions, private companies and youth groups should help turn hustle into sustainable enterprise through skills, mentorship, affordable finance and easier pathways to formalization. Its broader point is that Africa’s youth need systems that convert resilience into stable livelihoods rather than leaving survival mode as the norm.