VUB Alumnus Carlo Atum: the engine behind the VUB alumni gro

Obtained a Master of Science in Management at VUB, works as a consultant in his own company and as a Licensing Officer, under the Ministry of Work and Transport of Uganda.

Do you want to study Sciences in Management, just like Carlo? Discover the programme here. Do you have any questions for Carlo after reading this article? Add him on LinkedIn.

Continuing education is key

“After my Bachelor Studies in Educational Sciences (2010-2014), I worked as an engaged biology and chemistry teacher, and also as a School Administrator in the position of Dean of Students (DoS) in one of the high schools in Kampala (Luigi Giussani High School). In my 3rd year as a teacher and High School Administrator, I developed a passion for further studies, and after many attempts of getting a study scholarship, I finally secured a competitive Belgium Technical Corporation (BTC) scholarship in 2014, which allowed me to study a Postgraduate in Monitoring and Evaluation at Uganda Management Institute (UMI).”

It didn’t end there for Carlo. To the contrary, it strengthened his belief that continuous formation and education is critical for success.

“With a referral from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uganda, I applied for a Master of Science in Management at VUB through a competitive Caribu Erasmus Mundus scholarship which I successfully secured. You should know that I could also have applied for a different course at another European university (Human ecology at the University of Lisbon in Portugal). However, I have a great affinity with Brussels and Belgium, a unique city in a unique country at the heart of Europe, home to the EU headquarters. Likewise, I greatly appreciate the VUB’s humanitarian values, their respect for human dignity irrespective of race and gender, free thinking as well as critical thinking and their mission to serve humanity through quality teaching, research and community. All these elements contributed to the choice I ultimately made.”

VUB. What’s not to like?

“I loved my time at VUB. The university treasures unity within diversity, and the learning environment is so conductive to 21st century lifelong learning. I also appreciate how VUB links up with their student communities, as well as their alumni network. We have a viable VUB alumni network ‘Africa chapter’, where I serve as a coordinator with a dedicated team, only challenged by the current pandemic.

Furthermore, VUB Professors really show a willingness to share cutting-edge research knowledge with students. My research area was focused on how to measure the informal sector of an economy. The research findings are gradually being adopted by the Ugandan ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development and the Uganda Revenue Authority.

My work is now used by the government in their strategy aimed at diversifying the tax base through the formalization of the informal economy. I couldn’t have achieved this degree of practical implementation without the help from my professors.

One of the challenges that I faced at VUB and in Brussels, which limited my network expansion, was the language barrier, since some of us come from English-speaking countries. I hope a short introduction course in basic Dutch and French shall be introduced as a mandatory requirement for those who aren’t knowledgeable before enrolling into their program.

Another challenge was that our course didn’t offer the opportunity to do an internship, but this could have been due to the language and cultural barrier.”

#TheWorldNeedsYou - Giving back to society

“Currently, I work as a licensing officer and front desk manager in the Uganda Driving Licensing system project, contributing directly to offering quality services to our drivers with state-of-the-art Driving Licenses. There’s a direct link to people’s everyday life, making sure qualified and well-trained drivers are given a license to drive on the roads. I am sure that I am directly contributing to road discipline and reduction of road-related accidents associated with reckless driving by untrained drivers.

As an associate consultant at UMI, I have a good number of students in management and administration, but specifically in project monitoring and evaluation, many students are running projects and programmes in the public and private sector. This human capital capacity building contributes to our 3rd National Development Plan and sustainable development goal 4 “Access to Quality education for all”.

My future strategic actions are aimed at strengthening my company (Carloo Tech Consult), streamlining research, teaching and consultancy in the areas of social entrepreneurship, smart agriculture (SDG 1& 2-fight poverty and eradicate hunger in all its forms), E-learning equity in socio ecnomic development (SDG 5). I believe the outcomes will contribute to societal transformation.

I also believe in strengthening the VUB/Belgium alumni network in Africa, making it vibrant in helping solve societal challenges through research and development… challenges brought by increasing climate change, poverty and bad governance.

Last but not the least, all human beings are endowed with the positive zeal to change for the better, and we all desire good things, a good environment and good people.

#WeareVUB

(Critical) thinking

“I normally don’t take anything for granted, I criticise unfolding events in my life and in our society. I constantly question why our governments in Africa have deliberately failed to invest in vaccine production, why they have failed to prioritise investments in our fragile health, why they have failed to streamline uniform measures in relation to the abuse of human rights of the minority community.”

He considers it to be another way of formulating the chicken and egg dilemma. Do you become a critical thinker because of your studies, or do you choose a university that corresponds with the way your thinking develops? Nobody knows, and if you act upon your beliefs, it is of no further importance.

Carlo’s Tips and tricks

“My advice is pretty simple. Go and study whatever you like at a Belgium University for as long as it fulfils you heart’s desires. VUB, as a unique university within the heart of Brussels, offers a variety of courses ranging from arts to sciences.

Its multidisciplinary context provides an imaginable opportunity to acquire the much-needed knowledge, skills and practices.

"If you want to study in a metropolitan city like Brussels, with its rich culture, nice foods, drinks, and amazing friends, however, you should try to master at least one of the official languages, besides English. It broadens your networking options." A day in the life

“I am a committed, consistent and action-oriented person, aiming to serve humanity. I enjoy sharing knowledge and experiences with students at the Uganda Management Institute, serving clients (drivers) in the process of obtaining their driving license at USPC, offering consultancies services through my consultancy firm (CTC).

I love to read and write a lot, especially through the known media outlets.

And I invest heavily in VUB Alumni Africa, because of the added value for African students and the academic community at large.”