Stanbic, GIZ target Uganda’s green transition with female enterprise scheme

KAMPALA — Stanbic Business Incubator Limited and German development agency GIZ have joined forces to accelerate Uganda’s shift toward a sustainable economy through a targeted training scheme for women entrepreneurs.

The joint initiative reached a major milestone on Thursday as 165 women-led green businesses graduated from the Green Businesses and Jobs for the Green Transformation Project.

The project, launched in 2024 under the broader Women for the Green Transformation in Africa (WE4D) framework, is jointly funded by the European Union and the Norwegian government. Operating across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, the scheme focuses on building resilient female-led enterprises in key sectors such as renewable energy, waste management, circular economy, sustainable agriculture, and ecotourism.

Michael Seng, WE4D program lead at GIZ, said the strategic partnership with Stanbic was created to equip business owners with the tools necessary to support East Africa’s environmental and economic goals.

“Women-led green enterprises have enormous potential to create jobs, reduce environmental degradation and build more sustainable local economies,” Seng said. “Through this partnership, we are equipping entrepreneurs with the skills, networks and financial readiness needed to grow businesses that contribute meaningfully to Uganda’s economic transformation.”

The two-year program attracted over 400 applicants, with 200 shortlisted and 165 successfully completing the curriculum, representing an 82% completion rate. Participants underwent intensive classroom instruction, business coaching, site visits, and pitching sessions aimed at securing expansion capital.

Catherine Poran, chief executive officer of Stanbic Business Incubator Limited, emphasized that practical enterprise support is critical to driving long-term economic resilience.

“This graduation demonstrates what can be achieved when we invest in women entrepreneurs and provide practical business support,” Poran said. “These enterprises are creating jobs, strengthening local economies and building sustainable businesses that are ready for growth and investment.”

Judith Kibuuka, an executive committee member at Stanbic Uganda Holdings Limited representing chief executive Mark Ocitti, noted that the bank, alongside partners like GIZ, has committed 1 trillion Ugandan shillings toward enterprise growth, climate resilience financing, and financial inclusion.

“Our objective is to ensure that women-led enterprises are not only trained, but are also connected to finance, markets and the support systems they need to grow into sustainable businesses,” Kibuuka said.

The private-sector intervention aligns with national economic policy. Speaking on behalf of State Minister for Gender, Labor and Social Development Mary Kuteesa, Assistant Commissioner for Equity and Rights Lydia Nabiryo said empowering women-led green ventures is crucial to achieving Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.

“Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy will only be realized if we deliberately invest in women-led enterprises that are creating jobs, driving innovation and contributing to environmental sustainability,” Nabiryo said.

Graduates reported immediate structural improvements to their operations. Anne Kayiwa, founder of clean energy company Papillon Living, said the mentorship shifted her focus from seeking quick capital to establishing strong business governance.

“When we joined the training, our consistent question was about money and how we can access funding,” Kayiwa said. “After the mentorship, I can comfortably say the problem was not money, but knowledge on how to run and manage our enterprises, and formalization.”

Joan Muchiruka, founder of Iroma Honey, added that the program gave her the confidence to expand her production capacity and apply for formal government certification.

Johnson Abitekaniza, assistant commissioner for training and business skills development at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, urged the entrepreneurs to maintain high operational standards and responsiveness to customer inquiries online.

Abitekaniza announced that the ministry has established a specialized desk to fast-track certification for local small and medium enterprises mentored through schemes like WE4D.