Business Links and Resources

Women & Business in Uganda

Support Organisations for Women Businesses

Federation of Uganda Women Business Organizations, Industry and Agriculture

Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL)
UWEAL's mission is to build up capacity and train women to run sustainable enterprises in different parts of Uganda. UWEAL membership is open to women entrepreneurs, aspiring businesswomen, women professionals, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and partners in women development organizations.

CEEWA WIRES (Women's Information Resource Electronic Service)
WIRES is an initiative started in 1999 by Council for Economic Empowerment for Women of Africa (CEEWA)-Uganda Chapter. It is based in Kampala and connected to two rural sites: Nabweru and Buwama with points of contact with participating women entrepreneurs and women organisations that promote enterprise development. It is an Internet-based Information Resource Centre designed to provide relevant business information to women in Uganda with the end goal of empowering the small-scale entrepreneurs in Uganda.

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Additional Business Links and Resources

American & African Business Women's Alliance (AABWA)
AABWA is an organization whose members represent business and professional women from Africa and America engaged in trade and investment. Established in February 2001, AABWA fosters business opportunities and access to markets through networks, linkages, mentoring and leadership development for women. AABWA seeks to increase international and intra-Africa trade and investment by encouraging business partnerships within the African continent and with the United States. AABWA is unique in that it is a business woman's organization and is singularly focused on private sector-led trade and investment promotion between America and Africa.

Africa Federation of Women Entrepreneurs (AFWE)
AFWE is a Federation of National Associations of Women Entrepreneurs operating in 45 Sub-Saharan African countries. It was founded in Accra June 3rd 1993 and registered in Addis Ababa April 4th 1994, through the initiative of the Africa Centre for Women (ACW) of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.

Aduku Computer Systems
Aduku Computer Systems Inc. is a consulting firm with expertise in emerging technologies, including web development, network design and software solutions. The firm is based in Toronto, Canada, with a regional office in Kampala, Uganda.

BITS Africa
BITS Africa is a mentorship initiative for young entrepreneurs, especially women who are starting a technology business. Each selected applicant will be mentored by a Global Leader for Tomorrow (GLT) who will provide guidance and expertise to help grow the business. It is a pilot project designed to evolve into a sustainable business incubator for Africa. BITS Africa initiative is a program sponsored by the World Economic Forum Global Leaders for Tomorrow and the Africa Technology Forum - non-profit organization designed to promote technology in Africa and foster African entrepreneurship. The initiative addresses two issues identified by World Economic Forum (WEF) as critical for economic growth in Africa: entrepreneurship development and bridging the digital divide.

C.Sade & Associates Public Relations (CSA)
Public relations for women, entrepreneurs and educators.

Continue a/s
Continue is based on experience and competence gathered through more than 25 years of management positions in international business. Among its services, Continue a/s advises companies, organisations, and associations on Internet support for their business strategies.

East Africa Small Enterprise Fund
Following the July 2005 G-8 meeting in Scotland and the Live 8 concerts, both focused on eradicating poverty, Shell Foundation and GroFin Capital (an African financial firm) jointly announced the creation of the East Africa Small Enterprise Fund intended for African entrepreneurs with the potential to expand and to become major businesses.
The $100 million fund is not intended for start-ups nor is it a source for microloans. Beginning in Uganda and Kenya, the fund targets established African small businesses poised for growth with loans ranging from $50,000 to $1 million.

eCommunity Link
The ultimate goal of the eCommunity Link is to support Economic and Social Entrepreneurs in developing countries to launch innovative businesses and social enterprises that support local content, provide connectivity to local communities, and utilize ICT for socially valuable purposes, such as education, health, governance, gender equality, rural development, environmental management, and that create income-generating activities for poor communities.
The eCommunity Link is conducting a survey to collect case studies of existing pilots in connecting the local communities using ICT with local contents. This survey will be conducted in at least seven countries in various stages of ICT development and with various economic environments, in collaboration with local development partner institutions. In order for the institutions to collaborate with activities of the eCommunity Link, it has already started contacting various foundations to raise fund. If your organization are interested in this program, write to genderict@hotmail.com. The eComunity Link looks for institutions that have expertise in the following areas: E-Government, E-learning, E-commerce to assist local businesses (e.g., selling village crafts, farmers products), Agricultural and market information, Gender and empowerment, Tele-medicine, health care information, Income generation for the poor (selling services through the Internet/off-shore business etc.)

Empowering Rwandan Women through ICT
UNDP and UNIFEM have begun working together in Rwanda to open up access to ICTs for women and girls, and to empower them through the use of ICTs, to improve their social and economic rights and build a more secure economic future for themselves and their families. With funding from the Japan Women in Development Fund, UNDP and UNIFEM are collaborating to build on the strong political commitment of the Rwandan government to using ICTs for development and the promotion of gender equality.
As the first pilot project of the Digital Diaspora initiative, the Rwanda project is using the technical and market knowledge of Africans in the Diaspora to build the capacity of women�s business-oriented organisations to use ICTs to promote business linkages and influence policy-making, in order to situate women�s issues and concerns at the centre of efforts to reduce poverty.

Entrepreneurship and ICTs - The Art of Making Things Happen
Produced by Balancing Act, the 'Entrepreneurship and ICTs' CD-ROM looks at the kind of ICT ideas that have fuelled the growth of ICT sector across Africa. It provides a list of questions that need to be answered for most new ICT business ideas and offers some templates for the structure of your business plan. Whether you're a first-timer or are already running your own business, these questions provide useful ways of thinking about new ideas or planned expansion.

ICT-based Enterprises for Women in Development
A new project is starting to investigate how ICT-based enterprises can improve women's livelihoods in developing countries. An online workspace has been established to share experience, ideas and resources. This will help the project build knowledge: about the impacts of such enterprises on women, their lives and livelidhoods; and about business models and strategies for developing such enterprises. One may join via the link provided above, or by sending a short message requesting to join to: richard.heeks@man.ac.uk
The project includes in "ICT-based enterprises", data entry, programming, Web design, ICT training, ICT consulting, and other activities where ICTs are fundamental to the enterprise. We believe these represent an important and growing path through which to create wealth and skills for women in poor communities. We will be sharing experiences and lessons from ICT-based enterprise projects as we proceed. The project is funded by the UK's Department for International Development and co-ordinated by IDPM, at the University of Manchester, UK.

Katungulu Ttaba Youths Forum
Katungulu Ttaba Youths Forum's mission is to eradicate poverty among the youth in Katungulu Ttaba. In 1996, a fruit farm was started with mangoes, jack fruit, avocados and passion fruits. The greatest achievements so far is that we have started selling fruits and earning some money after a long period of hard work and sacrificing a lot of money and time for this project. The main difficulties the project has faced are mainly money for paying workers, money for taking care of the trees, planting materials, pestsides, transportation of fruits.

Moladi
Moladi is a patented plastic injection moulded formwork system, which we believe to be the beginning of an exciting new era in the construction industry. Creating job opportunities and facilitating the speedy delivery of much needed, low cost quality houses, clinics, schools, etc. Communities are trained and assisted to build their own houses quicker and for less than conventional brick and mortar. Visit the website for information on the advantages that warrant moladi being awarded the prestigious South African Bureau of Standards Design Award and how you, your organization and communities can benefit from this technology.

National Enterprise Development Association Limited (NEDA)
NEDA's mission is to increase the social-economic opportunities and incomes for all members by providing them with financial services, market linkages, business skills and personal development so as to gain personal empowerment and ability to competitively supply high quality products and services, with efficiency and effectiveness.

Oasis Information Service
Oasis Information Service provides small-scale entrepreneurs with the latest news on how to run their businesses, improve skills and deal with customers. Targeted groups are hairdressers, dressmakers, metal workers and wood and soapstone carvers. The firm's website is in English and Swahili. Based in Kenya, Oasis Information Service was started by Intermediate Technology Development Group with financial support from the Britain's Department for International Development.

Online Women's Business Center (OWBO)
Based in the United States, Online Women's Business Center (OWBO) promotes the growth of women-owned businesses through programs that address business training and technical assistance. OWBO's website may be of interest to women business owners in other countries too. The website's primary language is English, but parts of the site are also available in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Icelandic, and Arabic.

PicoPeta Simputers Pvt. Ltd.
PicoPeta is a Simputer solutions company. The primary business is to use the Simputer as a building block to provide large scale IT solutions to International clients. The Simputer is a low cost portable alternative to PCs. The goal of PicoPeta is to be the leader in the rapid deployment of large number of Simputers all over the world. The model is not that of selling Simputers as handheld computers to individual users. Instead, it is to provide Simputer based solutions to communities of users that share Simputers.

Private Sector Promotion Centre - Kitgum
Operating in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader in Northern Uganda, PSPCK's mission is to offer client oriented capacity building services in enterprise and entrepreneurship growth and development microfinance, support services, advocacy and fostering strategic alliances with development partners for increased incomes and susainable livelihoods.

Resource Centre for the Social Dimensions of Business Practice
The Resource Centre for the Social Dimensions of Business Practice is a UK Department for International Development (DFID) funded Resource Centre that seeks to engage business more effectively and systematically in poverty elimination. The Resource Centre primarily targets business and business organisations operating in the developing world. Given that the social impact of business is a concern for society as well as business, the Resource Centre also works with selected organisations and institutions that influence and impact business behaviour. The Resource Centre's non-business "audiences" include governments, international agencies, research institutions, trade unions and non-governmental organisations.

Shibumi Holdings, Inc.
Shibumi Holdings, Inc. is a private firm that assists corporations, partnerships, institutions both for-profit and non-profit, governments and individuals become successful in achieving their goals with an emphasis in Third World countries. Our approach to services centers around keen advice, judgement, time-sensitive and excellent execution. We continuously develop the most effective ways to identify and understand our clients' strategic and financial opportunities and objectives, and then apply a unique combination of expertise and global resources to best meet their needs. We are aligned with industry experience, emphasizing a solutions-orientation to clients' needs. With access to an expansive network of potential deal makers otherwise "below radar" to the market, Shibumi Holdings, Inc. provides aid in fulfilling the needs in the areas of Education, Telecommunications, Information Technology, Heavy Industry, Energy, Mineral Import/Export, and Construction.

Technology Helping Advance Women Entrepreneurs (THAWE)
Technology Helping Advance Women Entrepreneurs (THAWE) promotes the sustainable growth of micro/small women-owned businesses in developing nations by empowering women to transform their ideas into reality, and at the same time establishes mutual understanding between people of diverse cultures. We believe that local women entrepreneurs themselves recognize what is needed to start or expand their businesses, and in most cases lack the opportunity and resources to execute their ideas. THAWE promotes principles of self help and self sufficiency by providing access to technology, training, and financial resources that enable these women to gain control of their lives, reach their potential, and enjoy a higher quality of life. With great respect for the host culture, our volunteers further cross-cultural understanding by sharing enthusiasm and friendship, rather than imposing western ways.

Trickle Up
The New York City-based Trickle Up Program was founded in 1979 to help alleviate poverty and empower the poor. The organization has started or expanded almost 120,000 businesses in 120 countries, benefiting more than a half-million of the world's poorest people. Trickle Up provides microequity financing, business training, and other related business development services, as well as savings opportunities, to the most vulnerable people who are unable to take on debt. These people include refugees, displaced people, disadvantaged minorities, single mothers, women- and child-headed households, youth at risk, HIV/AIDS-affected families, and persons with disabilities, among others. Trickle Up currently works with 225 local Coordinating Partner Agencies in the U.S. and in 25 countries in Africa (including Uganda), Asia, and the Americas to help implement its microenterprise development program. Nearly 70 percent of all Trickle Up Program entrepreneurs are women.

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Last update: August-13, 2005