William S. Kalema

William Samson Kalema, is a Ugandan chemical engineer, business consultant and entrepreneur, who serves as the managing partner of BDO East Africa, "a professional firm that offers audit, accounting, tax and business advisory services to private and public sector clients", in the countries of the East African Community and Ethiopia.

Background and education
Kalema was born at Mulago, in Kampala, Uganda's capital city. After attending primary school locally, he was admitted to Kings College Budo, where he completed his middle and high school education. He obtained his High School Diploma from Budo.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree, both in chemical engineering and both awarded by the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. His Doctor of Philosophy degree, also in chemical engineering, was obtained from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), in Pasadena, California, United States, in 1984.

Career
As of December 2020, his career stretches back over more than four decades. Between 1974 until 1978, he served as a Metallurgical Engineer in the copper mining industry, based in the Zambian city of Ndola. He also served as a research engineer and business analyst at the DuPont Company, based in the state of Delaware, United States, serving in that capacity between 1984 ad 1992.

In 1992, he returned to Uganda and became a consultant to government, businesses and development agencies. He has, in the past and continues, as of December 2020, to serve on a number of boards of national, regional and international organizations. Past board positions are listed in the next section of this article. As of time of writing, he is a member of the following boards:


 * 1) Chairman, Board of Directors, Old Mutual Life Assurance Uganda
 * 2) Director, Multichoice Uganda,
 * 3) Director, Electro-Maxx Uganda Limited
 * 4) Director, Interswitch East Africa
 * 5) Director, African Seed Investment Fund
 * 6) Board Member, Bank of Uganda, Since 2010.

Past board positions
He has served on the following boards in the past.


 * 1) UK Commission for Africa set up by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to develop a long-term strategy for international support for Africa's sustainable development, 2005
 * 2) Chairman, Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA), 2000–2002
 * 3) Board member Uganda Manufacturers Association, 1994–2000
 * 4) Committee Chairman, UMA Economic Sub-Committee, 1997–2000
 * 5) Board Chairman, Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), 1998–2007
 * 6) Member of Uganda's high-level Presidential Investors Round Table, 2004–2006 and 2009–2011
 * 7) Board Chairman, DFCU Bank, 1998–2007
 * 8) Board member DFCU Group, 1998–2012.
 * 9) Trustee, Shell Foundation, 2005–2015,
 * 10) Trustee and former Executive Chairman of the Kilimo Trust, 1997–2017
 * 11) Trustee, Investment Climate Facility for Africa, 2007–2017
 * 12) Chairman, Board of Trustees, Makerere Female Scholarship Foundation,
 * 13) Chairman, Board of Directors, Uganda Gatsby Trust
 * 14) Member of the Investment Committee of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, managed by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), 2007–2013
 * 15) Director, African Agricultural Capital & Chair of the African Agricultural Capital Fund I
 * 16) Director, East African Breweries Limited, 2000–2009
 * 17) Chairman, Board of Directors, Uganda Breweries, 2004–2009.

Professional associations
<!- This unreferenced section is muted, until a suitable reference is found. (date=December 2020).
 * 1) Member; American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
 * 2) Member; Sigma Xi Scientific Honour Society

Consultancy
Ø  Played a key role in the policy dialogue between the Uganda Government and private sector. From 1992 to 1997, he was the lead organizer for the National Forum on Strategic Management for Investment Promotion and Export Growth, through which around 120 leaders from government and business developed a national consensus of economic reform and private sector-led development.

Ø  Between 2009 and 2010, he led a team of 5 consultants that conducted a Needs Assessment for Targeted Capacity Building of Uganda’s Public Service.

Ø  In August 2010, undertook study for COMESA on the Competitiveness of its Member States. The study described the framework for competitiveness within the Region Bloc and highlighted several issues that need to be addressed to enhance competitiveness of the Member States.

Ø  Team Leader of the team from DCDM, in consortium with Adam Smith International, to undertake a comprehensive review of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Government of Uganda. The purpose of the review was to improve service delivery through optimum structure of key government agencies. Recommendations were made on alignment of the different MDAs, the legal framework governing the setting up of new MDAs, how to restructure and reorganize the operational systems, and how to remove inconsistencies/contradictions and unnecessary overlaps and weaknesses in the legal and policy framework, structures and staffing in the MDAs.

Ø  Team Leader of the team from DCDM Advisory Services Limited that prepared the EAC Industrialization Strategy and Policy adopted by the EAC Summit in November 2011.The assignment involved revalidating and/or modifying, through wider engagement with national and regional stakeholders, the policy and strategy documents presented in 2010, so that the EAC can adopt and implement an effective industrial policy and strategy, with the support from all stakeholders.

Ø  Instrumental in the formation of the Private Sector Foundation, now an umbrella body of over 60 business associations, and served as Executive Director for the first six months of the Foundation’s existence. Based on that experience, helped establish similar institutions in Rwanda and Tanzania.

Ø  Instrumental in the following:

·        National Capacity Building Assessment for Namibia, 1999

·        Uganda Investment Climate Surveys, World Bank, 2003

·        Design of Cluster Competitiveness Programme for Tanzania Private Sector Competitiveness Project, 2004

·        Formation and development of the Private Sector Foundation (PSFU) and establishment of private sector umbrella organizations in Rwanda and Tanzania.

·        Developed a National Strategy for the Banana Industry, The Uganda Banana Initiative, 2004

·        Capacity Building for the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), 2007 - 2008

·        Market Study on the Housing Sector in Uganda, 2007

·        Restructuring the Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZNCCIA), Strategic Plan October, 2007

·        The Lake Victoria Environment Management Programme (LVEMP-2): Private Sector Development Component, 2007

·        African Peer Review Mechanism, 2007

·        Access to Housing Finance in Africa: Overview of the Housing Finance Sector in Uganda, 2008 and 2009

·        Comprehensive Review of Uganda Ministries Departments and Agencies; 2010

·        Needs Assessment for Targeted Capacity Building for the Uganda Public Service; 2009 – 2010

·        Director of a series of investment funds managed by Pearl Capital Partners, investing in agricultural enterprises in Eastern Africa: African Agricultural Capital Fund I   (Chairman), and African Seed Investment Fund (Director), and African Agricultural Capital Fund II (Director). The combined value of the three funds is US$ 42 million.

·        From 2007 to 2013, was Member of the Investment Committee of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (www.aecfafrica.org), managed by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, which by end 2013 had a portfolio value of US$ 217 million. --->