Stanbic Uganda Holdings Limited (SUHL), through Stanbic Bank Uganda and its non-profit arm, Stanbic Business Incubator Limited (SBIL), has launched two programmes aimed at empowering more than 10,000 low-income women entrepreneurs and 100 horticulture farmers in northern Uganda.
The Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) programme, supported by the Gates Foundation, and the Albertine Agribusiness Development Programme (ADP), funded by the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), will provide affordable financing, business development support and digital financial services.
The two initiatives form part of Stanbic’s Positive Impact Agenda for Women, Youth and Farmers, under which the bank has committed to mobilise up to Shs 1 trillion through strategic partnerships by 2028.
The funding is intended to improve livelihoods and support Uganda’s transition to a more productive, inclusive and competitive economy.
The agenda is aligned with the government’s Agriculture, Tourism, Minerals and Science (ATMS) strategy, which seeks to expand Uganda’s economy from $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040 through increased enterprise productivity.
Speaking at the launch in Gulu City, the chief executive of SBIL, Catherine Poran, said the programmes demonstrate the bank’s commitment to supporting Uganda’s economic growth.
“This is what we mean when we say our purpose is to drive Uganda’s growth,” Poran said.
She explained that the Women Economic Empowerment programme will equip women entrepreneurs with entrepreneurship training, financial literacy, digital skills, mentorship, insurance, savings solutions and market linkages to help them build sustainable businesses and increase household incomes.
Poran said many women continue to face challenges accessing credit because they lack collateral. She encouraged participants to use the programme to build credit histories through formal financial services.
She added that the Albertine Agribusiness Development Programme will provide farmers with modern agronomic skills while linking them to reliable markets.
“When farmers are linked to markets, they secure better prices for their produce. Many farmers grow products, but the challenge is accessing markets. Through this programme, we are working with off-takers who are ready to buy these products,” she said.
Poran said the programme is designed to create a multiplier effect by ensuring every farmer trained shares knowledge with at least 15 other farmers, helping to improve agricultural practices and increase production.
“Alongside capacity building, this programme will enable farmers to access formal financial services, which many smallholder farmers currently struggle with. We are optimistic that this initiative will significantly improve their situation,” she said.
She said Stanbic remains committed to integrating women entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers into the formal economy while complementing government programmes such as the Parish Development Model and supporting the objectives of the ATMS strategy.
The RCC of Gulu City, Ambrose Onoria, urged beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity.
“With this programme offering a 10 percent interest rate, no one should accept being poor or left behind,” Onoria said.
Jessica Kyeyune, the National Content Specialist at UNOC, said many entrepreneurs fail to separate business income from profits, making it difficult to measure business growth.
“Sometimes people spend all they earn without distinguishing between profit and cash flow. Learning these skills helps them understand whether their business is growing or simply consuming resources,” she said.
Kyeyune added that the Albertine Agribusiness Development Programme will also train farmers on reducing post-harvest losses and connect them to export markets.
She said farmers who had already been trained in Hoima had successfully secured buyers for their produce.
The mayor of Gulu City, Labeja Julius Acire, welcomed the initiative, saying it would protect women entrepreneurs from exploitative moneylenders.
“This programme provides structured financing and helps combat unscrupulous loan sharks who have been giving our women a tough time. It is not only about finance. It also includes training, which is essential,” Acire said.
