Thousands of women entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers in the Acholi sub-region are set to gain access to affordable financing, agricultural training, financial literacy and new market opportunities under a new five-year business empowerment initiative unveiled in Gulu City.
The twin initiatives, the Agriculture Development Programme (ADP) and the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Programme were officially unveiled over the weekend.
It is implemented by the Stanbic Business Incubator with funding from the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and the Gates Foundation, aiming to address gender-related economic barriers while strengthening agriculture and entrepreneurship across the sub-region.
Catherine Poran, the Chief Executive at Stanbic Business Incubator, said the programme is intended to equip women farmers with practical skills that will help them increase productivity, improve the quality of their produce and connect to better-paying markets.
According to Poran, ADP will directly support 100 farmers in Gulu City and Nwoya District through training in modern farming practices, financial literacy and market access.
Poran noted that many smallholder farmers still struggle to access reliable market information and formal financial services, making it difficult for them to expand their enterprises.
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She said participating farmers will also receive agricultural financial literacy training aligned with the government’s ten-fold growth strategy, which seeks to expand Uganda’s economy through increased productivity in sectors such as agriculture.
Beyond farming, the Women Economic Empowerment Programme seeks to improve women’s access to formal financial services by targeting micro, nano and small women-owned businesses.
Poran explained that many women entrepreneurs are excluded from conventional banking because they lack collateral and formal financial records.
Through Stanbic’s FlexiPay digital platform, the programme will help women build financial histories and credit profiles, making it easier for them to qualify for future financing.
She said integrating women entrepreneurs and farmers into the formal financial system would complement existing government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), GROW and other agricultural interventions.
Jessica Kyeyune, the National Content Specialist at the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), said the oil company is supporting the initiative under its national content strategy to prepare women and farmers to participate in Uganda’s growing economy by producing goods and services that meet market standards.
Kyeyune said one of the programme’s major areas of focus will be post-harvest handling, noting that poor storage and processing continue to prevent many Ugandan farmers from accessing high-value export markets.
She added that the initiative will also strengthen women’s confidence and business management skills through mentorship, financial literacy and cooperative-based support.
Gulu City Mayor Julius Acire Labeja said the programmes they will avail women structured and affordable financing while protecting them from exploitation by unregulated money lenders.
Labeja noted that many women in Northern Uganda have fallen victim to loan sharks who confiscate national identity cards and charge exorbitant interest rates, trapping borrowers in cycles of debt.
“This programme means that we now have a structured financing opportunity that will go a long way in fighting unscrupulous loan sharks that have been giving our women a terrible time,” Labeja said.
To ensure wider access, Gulu City Council has agreed to decentralise implementation of the Women Economic Empowerment Programme to all 32 wards in the city.
Under the arrangement, two Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs) will be set up in each ward, creating a total of 64 SACCOs. Each SACCO will comprise about 200 members, bringing the total number of beneficiaries under the ward-based model to approximately 12,800 women.
Lilian Lakot, a businesswoman in Bardege- Layibi Division told Uganda Radio Network that the initiatives present opportunities for women like her who have been at the mercy of money lenders.
“I run a small shop with litle capital, so each time I want to boost my business, I have to go for small loans where they detain my National ID as collateral with very short repayment period,” she said.
However, Lakot urged the city council officials to exhibit transparency in selecting the beneficiaries. On implementation, beneficiaries will access financing at a subsidised annual interest rate of 10%.
The initiatives form part of a US$10 million (over UGX35 billion) five-year programme being implemented in Northern and Eastern Uganda to boost agricultural productivity, promote women’s economic inclusion and expand access to affordable financial services-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
