East African Business Week

KAMPALA, UGANDA -- A program implemented by Enterprise Uganda has registered improvement in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), according to Rosemary Mutyabule the agency Director in charge of Business Advisory Services.
The programme titled Strengthening Women Entrepreneurs' Programme (SWEP) records accumulated high level impact among urban entrepreneurs.
The sales had increased from Shs 3.5 bn to Shs 6.4bn in just two years creating employment of over 500 people.
The investments had also accumulated by Shs 1.5 bn, and even taxes from Shs 23m to now Shs 140m.
"This programme had efficient methodology in improving urban businesses. However the results for the rural women are less impressive, but there are tremendous noticeable improvements too," Mutyabule said in an interview mid last week.
Mutyabule noted that there were structural differences between the two groups including very different economic opportunities and basic skills.
She said that rural women entrepreneurs have managed to earn Shs 15 million in a month with 205 people employed in Amuru District Northern Uganda.
According to Mutyabule, if funds attained for yet another phase of this programme, Enterprise Uganda intends to redirect efforts to Northern and Eastern Uganda where she said women have been hit by extreme poverty.
"Empower a woman is empowering a nation," she said.
She however said that there are still challenges to empower these women entrepreneurs including access to finance around affordability and suitability, technical knowhow and value addition.
Enterprise Uganda (EUg) has operated for almost 10 years as a promoter and supporter of Small and Medium Enterprises.
The EUg model is designed to provide an integrated and comprehensive range of business support services to SMEs.
Norway has given support to this Strengthening Women Entrepreneurs Programme, focusing on women led and owned enterprises.   
This project seeks to provide gender sensitive training and business support services for small women entrepreneurs in the urban and rural areas of Uganda.
The target beneficiaries of this project are existing women entrepreneurs heading small and medium enterprises or planning to start a business in Uganda.  
The project aims to enhance access to existing business development services provided by Enterprise Uganda, by enabling women entrepreneurs to establish and/or strengthen their enterprises by overcoming obstacles to accessing finance and Business Development Services, so that they can survive and compete in an increasingly global economy.