Finance and Banking
Opportunity Bank and FSME Empower 450+ Mukono Businesses with Vital Skills and Funding Access
Over 450 small business owners in Greater Mukono have received a significant boost in their entrepreneurial journeys, thanks to a two-day training-workshop successfully concluded on June 24th. The initiative, a collaborative effort between Opportunity Bank Uganda Limited and the Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises (FSME), equipped Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) with essential modern business management skills and crucial links to affordable financing.
The diverse group of participants, including traders, youth entrepreneurs, agro-processors, ICT service providers, educators, and green companies, gained valuable insights into effective business operations. A key takeaway for many was the realization of how fundamental business knowledge can unlock growth. Ronald Baganda, owner of Treasure Cosmetics Products, articulated this sentiment, stating, “I have always been manufacturing cosmetic products and looking for customers, but I have never been in any business training. From this session, I learnt the many challenges that constrained me were lack of business knowledge. Equipped with these skills and access to affordable finance, I will be able to effectively manage and grow my enterprise.”
This comprehensive training is a core component of the MSME Accelerator Program, a one-year initiative designed to foster the growth and impact of 2,820 MSMEs across various vital sectors, including Agribusiness, Manufacturing, ICT, Building and Construction, and the burgeoning Green Economy. The program is jointly implemented by Opportunity Bank Uganda Limited and FSME, with generous support from the Argidius Foundation and Opportunity International.
Johnson Rukara, Programs and Business Development Manager at Opportunity Bank, underscored the bank’s commitment to understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by MSMEs. “From the interactive session with MSMEs, we understand their challenges and work together to build their capacity to move from one step to greater heights,” he noted, highlighting the program’s interactive and needs-based approach.
The Mukono workshop builds upon a strong foundation of past successes, with over 2,000 small-scale business owners already having benefited from similar training programs in various regions across Uganda, including Mubende, Hoima, Soroti, Lira, Masaka, and Jinja. The MSME Accelerator Program aims to cultivate a dynamic environment where entrepreneurs can share experiences, collaboratively address common hurdles, and identify new business opportunities, ultimately contributing to Uganda’s economic development and job creation.
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