Women entrepreneurs join hands for better recovery post COVID-19

Supported by the ILO, the women entrepreneurs’ forum in Uganda extends its support services to refugee and host community business women affected by the pandemic.

News | 07 November 2021
Women entrepreneur in Uganda market ©ILO
Introduced by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2006, each year November is observed as the ‘Month of Women Entrepreneurs’ (MOWE) in Uganda. The event, now led by the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs’ Association Limited (UWEAL), provides an advocacy and networking opportunity for 80,000 women owners of small and big businesses represented by the association.

As Uganda recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the event aims to articulate issues and needs of the women entrepreneurs and advocate for the support required towards rebuilding their businesses.

MOWE launch event was organized on 1 November 2021 at the UWEAL head office in Kampala. To provide context for the event, Dr Barbara Ofwono Buyondo, UWEAL Board Chairperson,  said, “Like all countries, Uganda implemented COVID-19-related lockdown measures, which led to disruption of supply chains and a drastic drop in demand and supply of goods and services. Sectors such as tourism, trade and education, engaging a large number of women entrepreneurs, took a massive hit in the past two years.”

Sectors such as tourism, trade and education, engaging a large number of women entrepreneurs, took a massive hit in the past two years."

Dr Barbara Ofwono Buyondo, UWEAL Board Chairperson

Among the women entrepreneurs, those from refugee and host communities having limited access to social security measures and financial support, were severely affected by the market shocks. With assistance from the PROSPECTS Uganda programme, UWEAL has decided to provide dedicated support to these affected women entrepreneurs.

In November, activities such as capacity development workshops, advocacy dialogues and a business leaders’ conference will support women with access to knowledge and resources for strengthening the resilience of their businesses. UWEAL now plans to include refugee women entrepreneurs from Rhino Camp, Nakivale Refugee Settlement and their host community members in their interventions.

At the closing ceremony of the month-long event, UWEAL will recognize business women who have overcome the challenges thrown up by the pandemic.

Dr. Buyondo, UWEAL Board Chairperson at the MOWE launch event ©ILO
“We want to applaud business women who adapted to the new normal or came up with innovative business strategies for surviving the pandemic. To overcome the movement restrictions during COVID-19, business women even slept in the market. Such inspiring stories complement our theme for the MOWE: ‘Against all odds for women entrepreneurs’. We want to appreciate this spirit of business women so they inspire others to start and develop businesses,” added Dr. Buyondo.

Uganda plans to fully re-open its economy in January 2022 and UWEAL perceives this as an opportunity to mobilize its members to advocate for immediate measures to support businesses. As a priority, the organization is attempting to generate financial support to help businesses get back on track.

"Some of our members do not have the documents required to get loans from the banks as individuals. We are enabling them to access loans as a women’s group,” added Dr. Buyondo. UWEAL is also negotiating with Uganda Development Bank to provide affordable loans to women entrepreneurs at lower interest rates.

The ILO’s PROSPECTS Uganda team is providing technical and financial support to UWEAL in formalizing concrete actions for the betterment of women entrepreneurs from host and refugee communities.

Stephen Opio, Chief Technical Advisor of ILO PROSPECTS Uganda, said, “Integrating the women entrepreneurs from host and refugee communities with a larger forum like UWEAL will bring sustainability to the time-bound interventions initiated by the ILO. The forum will help our efforts to go the extra mile.”

"This programme will bring sustainability to the time-bound interventions initiated by the ILO."

Stephen Opio, Chief Technical Advisor of ILO PROSPECTS Uganda
Read more about the MOWEAL and MOWE activities here