By Racheal Amuge,
KAMPALA
Women entrepreneurs have been urged to invest in scalable businesses as a means of economic empowerment, following the award of UGX 3.3 billion in seed funding to 45 women-led businesses under the NSSF Hi-Innovator Women Accelerator program.
Each of the selected businesses will receive UGX 75 million, subject to a due diligence process to ensure compliance with program requirements and operational efficiency.
Speaking at Speke Hotel in Kampala, Jackson Niwamanya, the Project Coordinator of the NSSF Hi-Innovator Program at Impact Hub, emphasized the importance of supporting women-led enterprises, particularly in agribusiness and job creation. He highlighted the challenges that women face in high-growth business sectors and stressed the need for targeted interventions.
“Women remain underrepresented in high-growth business sectors due to unique challenges they face in entrepreneurship. Through this initiative, we aim to bridge that gap and foster economic growth,” Niwamanya said.
Richard Zulu, Team Principal at Outbox Hub, noted the significant progress made under the Hi-Innovator program. “Out of the 500 businesses we have engaged, 393 are currently receiving our support. Of these, 52% (203) are women-led and women-owned. Initially, we aimed to create 132,000 work opportunities directly and indirectly, but we have surpassed that target, creating over 150,000 work opportunities,” he stated.
The NSSF Hi-Innovator Women Accelerator program is designed to provide financial and technical support to women entrepreneurs, enabling them to scale their businesses and contribute to Uganda’s economic development.
The initiative underscores the growing commitment to fostering gender-inclusive entrepreneurship, equipping women with the resources needed to thrive in competitive business environments.
