• Latest
Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

July 4, 2025
Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

July 4, 2025
Baltazar Engonga sentenced to 18 years in prison

Baltazar Engonga sentenced to 18 years in prison

July 3, 2025
VINAStech Advert
Auto Draft

DP Aspirants Flock to Contest for Parliamentary Seats

July 3, 2025
Uganda to Host Third Annual Power And Electricity Expo

Uganda to Host Third Annual Power And Electricity Expo

July 3, 2025
Tragedy Strikes Football World as Liverpool’s Diogo Jota and Brother André Die in Spanish Car Accident

Tragedy Strikes Football World as Liverpool’s Diogo Jota and Brother André Die in Spanish Car Accident

July 3, 2025
Woman Returns Home in Tororo After Being Mistakenly Declared Dead

Woman Returns Home in Tororo After Being Mistakenly Declared Dead

July 3, 2025

NRM Reschedules Parliamentary Flag Bearer Elections to July 17

July 2, 2025
UPDF Helicopter Crashes in Mogadishu, Five dead

UPDF Helicopter Crashes in Mogadishu, Five dead

July 2, 2025

UPC to Gov’t: Keep Your Word on Arts Teachers’ Pay Raise

July 2, 2025
EACOP PROTESTS: Stop Arrests and Address Legitimate Concerns

EACOP PROTESTS: Stop Arrests and Address Legitimate Concerns

July 2, 2025

We don’t encourage abortion, says UNFPA Country Representative

July 1, 2025
NEMA Pushes for Total Ban on Single-Use Carrier Bags

Choking On Plastics: Time for a Ban And a Shift to Sustainable Packaging

July 1, 2025
  • About Us
  • Internship
  • Contact Us
Friday, July 4, 2025
Parrots Media
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • News
    Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

    Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

    Baltazar Engonga sentenced to 18 years in prison

    Baltazar Engonga sentenced to 18 years in prison

    Auto Draft

    DP Aspirants Flock to Contest for Parliamentary Seats

    Uganda to Host Third Annual Power And Electricity Expo

    Uganda to Host Third Annual Power And Electricity Expo

    Woman Returns Home in Tororo After Being Mistakenly Declared Dead

    Woman Returns Home in Tororo After Being Mistakenly Declared Dead

    UPDF Helicopter Crashes in Mogadishu, Five dead

    UPDF Helicopter Crashes in Mogadishu, Five dead

    Trending Tags

  • Climate Change
  • Business
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • Business
  • Others
    • Education
    • Lifestyle
    • Religion
    • Opinions
  • News
    Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

    Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

    Baltazar Engonga sentenced to 18 years in prison

    Baltazar Engonga sentenced to 18 years in prison

    Auto Draft

    DP Aspirants Flock to Contest for Parliamentary Seats

    Uganda to Host Third Annual Power And Electricity Expo

    Uganda to Host Third Annual Power And Electricity Expo

    Woman Returns Home in Tororo After Being Mistakenly Declared Dead

    Woman Returns Home in Tororo After Being Mistakenly Declared Dead

    UPDF Helicopter Crashes in Mogadishu, Five dead

    UPDF Helicopter Crashes in Mogadishu, Five dead

    Trending Tags

  • Climate Change
  • Business
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • Business
  • Others
    • Education
    • Lifestyle
    • Religion
    • Opinions
No Result
View All Result
Parrots Media
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu by Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu
July 4, 2025
in Business
0
Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation
500
SHARES
502
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on X

NATIONAL

On June 12, 2025, Uganda’s Finance Minister, Hon. Matia Kasaija, unveiled a UGX 72.3 trillion budget for FY 2025/26, projecting a robust 7% economic growth despite global uncertainties.

READ ALSO

Implications of Aiding or Abetting a Tax Offense In Uganda

Cryptocurrency And The Shadow Economy: Facilitators of Illicit Financial Flows In Uganda

With agriculture anchoring 70% of Uganda’s workforce and 24% of GDP, the budget allocates over UGX 1.6 trillion directly to programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM), Agricultural Credit Facility (ACF), and agro-industrialisation, alongside UGX 2.43 trillion in wealth creation initiatives.

However, as the government drives commercial agriculture, persistent challenges, high interest rates (17.7%), low private sector credit growth (6.4%), and rural-centric focus, underscore that state interventions alone cannot fully transform the sector.

The launch of the dfcu Foundation on May 29, 2025, in Mbarara, a private sector-led initiative evolving from dfcu Bank’s Agribusiness Development Centre (ADC), emerges as a critical partner to amplify government efforts, fostering inclusive, sustainable agricultural growth.

The dfcu Foundation’s rebranding signals a bold pivot towards empowering 100,000 farmers, SMEs, women, and youth over five years, with target of 60% women and 40% youth, aligning with Uganda’s youthful demographic (77–78% under 30).

Building on ADC’s legacy of supporting 59,000 beneficiaries and facilitating USD 22 million in business linkages since 2018, the Foundation expands its mandate to include financial literacy, mentorship, credit access, and market linkages; this holistic approach complements the government’s Vision 2040 and PDM, which aim to transition subsistence farmers into commercial enterprises.

The government’s PDM, with UGX 1.059 trillion, delivers UGX 100 million per parish to 10,589 parishes, reaching 2.63 million beneficiaries by June 2025, with 45% investing in crops like maize and 36% in livestock.

The Parish Development Model Information System (PDMIS), designed to digitise support for rural households and address the challenges of subsistence farming and rural poverty, issues more prevalent in rural than urban communities, prioritises these areas, though its urban reach remains limited. The Agriculture Credit Facility (ACF), has leveraged over UGX 1 trillion in loans for 14,336 farmers, with allocations supporting grain trading (43%) and on-farm activities (32%).

Agro-industrialisation, with UGX 308.9 billion for industrial parks and UGX 187 billion for Uganda Development Corporation, has created 181,403 jobs across 628 companies, promoting value-added products like dairy and processed foods.

ADVERTISEMENT

These efforts align with a 26% export growth to USD 9.3 billion, driven by coffee (USD 2 billion) and 31 new products, supported by a USD 10/metric ton levy on bran to encourage local value addition.

Despite all these efforts, credit barriers persist: high interest rates and sluggish credit growth limit SME scalability, while the Parish Development Model’s rural focus highlights the need for similar interventions in urban centers, a gap the private sector can help address.

As a private sector player, the dfcu Foundation’s interventions are well positioned to fill critical gaps: for instance the Foundation’s SOMA eLearning Platform equips farmers with climate-smart practices, addressing environmental threats like soil degradation noted by Agriculture Minister Bright Rwamirama during the launch.

By leveraging dfcu’s branch network, the Foundation facilitates tailored credit solutions, SME training, mentorship, and market access, directly tackling the budget’s credit access challenge. Through enterprise development interventions, the Foundation prepares SMEs for commercial credit and investment opportunities.

The participation of women reaching 52% under the ADC over the last six years underscores a deliberate and sustained effort toward gender equity, mirroring the budget’s UGX 231.3 billion GROW program for women enterprises.

The synergy is clear: the government’s macro-investments in irrigation to achieve 54.76 million cubic meters capacity with 7 large schemes, mechanisation, and research—including NARO’s 20 million anti-tick vaccine doses lay the infrastructure, while the Parish Development Model and dfcu Foundation’s grassroots initiatives ensure equitable implementation.

For instance, PDM’s digital tools align with SOMA’s training, enhancing farmer productivity.

The Foundation’s partnerships with cooperatives and SMEs amplify ACF’s loan impact, ensuring smallholders benefit from agro-industrial parks’ value chains.

This private-public partnership offers a blueprint for thought leaders.

The government cannot transform agriculture alone; private sector players like dfcu Foundation bridge systemic gaps, ensuring credit flows, skills transfer, and market access reach the underserved.

To maximise impact, dfcu will continue to scale beyond Mbarara in its five regional hubs, while the government addresses urban neglect and lowers interest rates.

As Uganda aims for a USD 500 billion economy by 2040, this collaboration—rooted in inclusivity, innovation, and sustainability—could redefine Africa’s agricultural narrative, proving that shared ambition can yield transformative prosperity.

Related Posts

Business

Implications of Aiding or Abetting a Tax Offense In Uganda

June 30, 2025
Business

Cryptocurrency And The Shadow Economy: Facilitators of Illicit Financial Flows In Uganda

June 30, 2025
Father Lynched by Mob After Killing Daughter for Reporting Him to Police
Business

Thugs Rob Over UGX192m From Finca Uganda Branch

June 25, 2025
Business

dfcu Bank and World Navi Transform Uganda’s Auto Finance Market with 100% Vehicle Financing Package

June 17, 2025
Business

Equity Bank Under Fire Again Over Unauthorized Withdrawal of Customer’s Savings

June 10, 2025
Business

Prosperity From Purposeful Passion: Dr. Emma Naluyima talks about her farming journey, bolstered by dfcu Bank

June 9, 2025
Next Post
Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation

Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

Catholic Priest Speaks Out Against Museveni and Son’s Leadership

Catholic Priest Speaks Out Against Museveni and Son’s Leadership

February 16, 2025

Former IGP Okoth Ogola Dies

February 14, 2025

A Love Beyond Distance: A review of Leonard Kamugisha Akida’s poetic tribute on valentine’s day

February 14, 2025

Besigye Sends Easter Message from Luzira Prison as Archbishop Kazimba Urges for Release of Political Prisoners

April 18, 2025
Brutality at KIU: Students Assaulted by Officials at Examination Hall

KIU Loses Bid to Block Payment of Shillings 46.8 Billion to Housing Finance Bank

March 12, 2025

EDITOR'S PICK

President Museveni Meets Omusinga wa Rwenzururu After Seven Years

President Museveni Meets Omusinga wa Rwenzururu After Seven Years

December 14, 2023

LATEST EURO TRANSFER TALKS

May 1, 2020

Man beheaded, body dumped on the roadside

September 21, 2022
Civil Society Groups Condemn EACOP Financing

EACOP: A Step Back in the Fight against Climate Change

April 8, 2025
VINAStech advert VINAStech advert VINAStech advert
ADVERTISEMENT

About

Parrots Media

A Public Relations and Media Services Company registered and licensed to operate in Uganda and the Great Lakes Region.

Follow us

Categories

  • Business
  • BUSINESS REPORTS
  • CLIMATE ACTION REPORTS
  • Climate Change
  • COMMUNITY REPORTS
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • FEATURES
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • News
  • Obituary
  • OBITUARY
  • Opinions
  • RELIGION
  • Religion
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • TOURISM

Recent Updates

  • Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation
  • Realising Uganda’s Agricultural Renaissance Requires Strong Private Sector Participation
  • Baltazar Engonga sentenced to 18 years in prison
  • DP Aspirants Flock to Contest for Parliamentary Seats
July 2025
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Jun    
  • About Us
  • Internship
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Parrots Media | Website Designed and Maintained by VINAStech

No Result
View All Result
  • Parrots Media
  • News
  • Business
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Others
    • Climate Change
    • Education
    • Religion
    • Opinions

© 2025 Parrots Media | Website Designed and Maintained by VINAStech

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

You cannot copy content of this page