By Mulengera Reporters
At a time when many young Ugandans still grapple with unemployment and lack of direction, a pair of ambitious youth are slowly building a cosmetic brand out of an idea they once shelved, thanks to the support and hands-on training from the Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI).
Through a friend’s recommendation in 2020, the duo approached UIRI in search of a solution to develop their concept of making organic cosmetics. They had passion, a company (Acklean Investments) and a promising idea, but lacked the scientific formulation and technical capacity to bring it to life.
That’s when UIRI stepped in when they (incubatees) approached them, assigning them to trained chemists at UIRI, where they underwent a rigorous one-year training programme, using the institute’s modern equipment and facilities at no cost except for the raw materials they brought in themselves. The training was done under UIRI’s incubation programme.
In 2021, after completing their training, the two innovators launched their product line under the brand name Itoto Cosmetics, a range of organic skin care products made from refined cow ghee, a milk bi-product long known in African tradition for its skin benefits.
Today, their Mutungo-Biina–based company makes body creams, lotions for both men and women, hand creams, body butters, perfumed petroleum jelly, glare and acne oils, revitalising shower gels, and more.
Speaking to this publication, Ms. Kirezi Poshia, 30, the company’s Human Resource Manager, said UIRI’s support was the turning point for their business dream, adding that they had the idea and passion, but UIRI gave them the skills, the formulation, and access to high-grade equipment.
Kirezi said during the training period, UIRI handled everything from testing to laboratory procedures, with them only bringing in raw materials, which helped them a lot to reduce costs and focus on product development.
Currently, Acklean Investments employs seven permanent workers and ten more on a semi-permanent basis. The business is still growing, and while profits have not yet peaked, Kirezi is optimistic about the future.
Their dream is to acquire their own production home and establish a full-scale cosmetics manufacturing plant, adding that beyond income, the business has given them and their team a purpose-driven life and the confidence to dream even bigger.
It is stories like these that reflect UIRI’s quiet but profound impact on Uganda’s small-scale industrial development, especially for women and young people who dare to start. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
