By Ben Ssebuguzi
Every country blessed like Uganda deserves to have a visionary business leader like Dr Sudhir Ruparelia of Ruparelia group,who is creative and innovative so as to create significant jobs and economic value to drive growth in a country.
The opening of RR Pearl Tower one on Yusuf Lule road in the strategic central business district of Kampala underscores Dr Sudhir Ruparelia’s determination to demonstrate how one of the country’s greatest resource- it’s land can be leveraged to create prosperity and opportunities.
RR Pearl Tower one, named in honor of our late and great friend, Rajiv Ruparelia, who passed away in a motor accident on his way to Munyonyo,continues to not only depict beauty that’s meets luxury, but it also promotes the best architectural designs that the late Rajiv Ruparelia harboured and cherished, such as when he started Boulevard and Kingdom Kampala -nobody expected such classy buildings to grace our city’s skyline in limited scope of time. This settles well with Rajivs ambitious plans and legacy.May His Soul Rest in peace.
That said, this reminds us why every country needs that innovative risk taker with strong business acumen such as Sudhir. When President Museveni wanted someone who can sacrifice resources on short notice to construct the NAM delegates conference with perfection, glamour and skill, he was our last resort.
Similarly, countries such as Nigeria which have many business leaders like Sudhir have found themselves become economic giants. Dangote is one of them who has seen his country leap to fourth- largest country with GDP as of 2025 due to his mega investments in Cement and oil,among others.
In other words, as a country, we need to put in place favourable policies in place to motivate these extraordinary business leaders if our nation is to leverage on their potential. We have seen Dr Sudhir venturing into commercial agriculture, hospitality, education among others simply because our political leaders give him space to exercise his imaginations to develop our country. Even us citizens, we ought to give him moral support when government agencies such as URA hire his premises, but not scold him because he is part of our ambitious journey of USD 500BN economy by 2040.
Otherwise, cities such as New York or Dubai started with great people like him at the forefront of identifying and capitalizing on the available resources to contribute significantly to their economies and foster transformation.
In light of the above, visionary business leaders who can exemplify extraordinary private sector leadership can only thrive in an environment that is free from conflict and political instability
In summary, the NRM peace ushered in by President Yoweri Museveni is a testament that a peaceful country is a bedrock of social economic transformation. Dr Sudhir is a living testimony and his success has been hanged on the great wall of fame in Uganda and recognized by international research firm,Public Opinion which recognized Sudhir and President Museveni as the 15 most admired inspiring leaders. In 2024/25, he was also inducted into the Uganda Development Champion Journal, recognizing his pivotal role during the country’s economic and social progress.
The writer is the head of Research
Office of the National Chairman