Women in business campaign launched countrywide

July 16, 2018 in Business, Communications, Companies, Financial Services by Editor

July 16, 2018—Monitor Publications Limited (MPL), dfcu bank and the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) have joined forces to recognise and provide support for woman-owned businesses in the ‘Rising Woman’ campaign which will culminate in a two-day expo during September.

Juma Kisaame, the dfcu bank managing director at the recent launch of the ‘Rising Woman’ campaign intended to focus on women in business.

Uganda’s second biggest bank by assets already has a Women in Business Program (WiB), but according to the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL), the gap between success and failure widens with various challenges among which are access and cost of credit as one of the biggest barriers, exposure of their businesses and access to markets among others.

The centerpiece of the campaign is networking opportunities at four power talks/forums countrywide addressing issues these businesses are facing. According to the organisers, the power talks will host both local and regional female successful entrepreneurs to empower women in business. UIA will be key in providing this training together with its partners.

Training areas include; textile, shoe making, bakery, soap making, agro-processing, candle making, art and craft, paper manufacturing, maize processing, fish processing, making sanitary towels, production of jelly, processing of bottled water, oil seed extraction, wine processing, sesame processing, honey processing, fruit drying and packaging, silage and hay production, poultry feeds making, ginger processing, soya milk processing, tooth brush making and paint manufacturing among others.

Interested businesses should visit www.dfcubank.com download a form with guidelines on proposal writing and then submit the proposals at any dfcu bank branch, Daily Monitor offices country wide and UIA offices or district commercial officers in the respective districts. Trainings will be conducted for two days in each region training 100 participants per day. Women enterprise owners are asked to register at the district commercial officer in the respective districts, Mbarara, Jinja, Lira or call Leslie – 0782-948915, Victoria – 0776-760603 or Elizabeth – 0702-1700108.

Under the theme, ‘Taking your business ahead’, the three main sponsors of the campaign believe there is a rising number of successful women doing business in Uganda, all trading at different levels as they defy stereotypes to make it and contribute to Uganda’s economy. However while quite a number of women are successful, many fail too or give up for various reasons.

Esther Muchemi of Samchi Group of Companies with dfcu Bank’s Victoria Byenka.

Listed as the leading objectives of the campaign are to provide a platform for women in business to escalate their businesses to great heights; support the increase of revenue earned by women in businesses; advocate for and on behalf of women businesses; improve access to business information for businesses; help in Domestic Investment Promotion Facilitation and support for businesses under the National Content inclusion in priority sectors. There is also a need to provide women with financing solutions that meet their needs while negating the phobia for borrowing among women.

The ‘Rising Woman’ campaign is looking at business women, small scale investors, entrepreneurs, UWEAL members together with members of Uganda Small Scale Industries Association (USSIA) and the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA).