More than 1,000 women to celebrate International women’s day with business skills.

29 February 2024, 4:49 pm

Byamukama Alozious

As Uganda prepare to join the rest of the world to celebrate international women’s day, Women who have been struggling in business will be trained on business sustainability at an event dubbed ‘The women’s day Information Highway’. 

Speaking at the launch of the initiative at Gudie Leisure Farm in Najeera-II, Kira, Prof. Gudula Naiga Basaza, the Founder and Managing Director of the Farm and the host of this event said, the event aims at empowering women with strategic information and critical connections that are essential to their economic advancement and that will take place on Friday 8^th March, 2024 at Gudie Leisure Farm in Najjeera II – Kira Municipality in Wakiso district.

In Uganda, 44% businesses are owned by women however it’s estimated that women entrepreneurs supply only 1% in markets due to various barriers (Uganda women entrepreneurs association limited, UWEAL). Prof.Gudula said, this event will host several strategic partners, mentors and thought leaders from various backgrounds and sectors who will highlight different opportunities women can leverage as well as best practices they can adopt to impact themselves, their families and communities who will be unpacking ‘Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress’ which is the theme of the day

Uganda as a country is committed to women’s empowerment, however very many women and girls are yet to maximize the opportunities that exist to accelerate their personal, professional and economic growth. We recognize there are many reasons for this; part of which is the limited access to critical & timely information. This is the drive behind the Women’s Information Highway which we will be hosting on International Women’s Day here at Gudie leisure farm in partnership with CARE International, DFCU Bank Uganda, Generating ROW – Private Sector Foundation Uganda, Bank of Uganda and UN Women.

She pointed out that, the Women’s Information Highway is a full suite of information that a woman needs to blossom and make strategic and measurable contribution in her lifetime while impacting communities. The highway will expose women to step by step processes of how to normalize their business & register intellectual property, the certification and compliance processes and Access to business financing instruments.

Yossa Immaculate Daisy, Senior Initiative Manager for the -CASCADE project at CARE Uganda said, “Women and girls are a core impact population for CARE International and there is need to bridge the economic gender gaps and there only way to archive National Development Plan III, SDG 5 as well as SDGs 1, 4, 8, 10 and 16 by 2030 to include women in business which is a factor for incoming gathering to sharpen low and middle class women with business skills

Ruth Asasira, Head Women in Business on behalf of DFCU said, that Uganda is leading in women entrepreneurship in the sub-Saharan Africa with over 38% women entrepreneurs, however it is reported that only 24% of the credit portfolio in regulated institutions is allocated to women. Dfcu Bank through the women in business program continues to drive the uptake of credit among women by reducing the interest rates & offering unsecured credit facilities to support women owned businesses. “We will be sharing about some of the exciting products and services we have and will also be launching this year during the Women’s Information Highway and welcome growth-ready business and corporate women to participate”.

The event is estimated to accommodate 1,000 women from 31 districts of Uganda and will end with an exciting moment dubbed as ‘Women fireplace’ where the all women are expected to discuss with women who have walked a step of change.