Overview:

New She Counts initiative aims to bridge the gender gap in financial literacy by equipping Ugandan women with tools for treasury bonds and unit trusts.

KAMPALA, Uganda — Centenary Bank has disbursed 36.1 billion Ugandan shillings to women-led micro and small enterprises as part of a broader effort to transition female entrepreneurs from subsistence operations to strategic wealth creation.

The funding, distributed through the GROW financing facility, has supported 1,858 loans to date. The bank announced the milestone on May 6, 2026, during the launch of the She Counts initiative, a joint program with the United Nations Development Programme designed to enhance financial literacy and investment capabilities among women.

Fabian Kasi, managing director of Centenary Bank, said the institution is focused on closing the gender gap in financial participation. While women own approximately 40 percent of Uganda’s small businesses, national data shows their financial literacy rate lags behind men by 8 percentage points.

Through the She Counts initiative, we are committed to closing this gap and ensuring that every woman has the tools to build a secure and independent future, Kasi said.

The new initiative will offer investment clinics and advisory support to help women move beyond basic savings and into more complex financial instruments. These include treasury bonds, unit trusts, collective investment schemes and insurance.

Women-owned businesses are a primary driver of the private sector in Uganda, contributing to a national GDP growth rate of more than 6 percent in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

Nwanne Vwede-Obahor, the UNDP resident representative in Uganda, said the partnership aims to make formal financial systems more accessible.

We want to demystify investments by speaking in plain, useful and actionable language, Vwede-Obahor said.

Centenary Bank, which serves more than 3 million customers, has already reached 52,000 women with financial literacy training through its various empowerment programs. Kasi pledged to continue using the bank’s digital platforms and 81 branches to ensure women are equipped to navigate the shift from earning to investing.