dfcu and MTN officials at the launch of the second phase of the Advancing Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) programme at MTN Uganda headquarters in Kampala on May 22.
Corporate leaders and entrepreneurship experts have called for stronger support systems to help women-owned businesses transition into scalable, investment-ready enterprises following the launch of the second phase of the Advancing Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) programme at MTN Uganda headquarters in Kampala on May 22.
The programme, implemented by MTN Uganda together with partners including dfcu Bank, Innovation Village, PSFU, American Tower Corporation and NSSF Hi Innovators, seeks to prepare women-led businesses for participation in formal corporate supply chains through training, mentorship, financial literacy and digital transformation.
Originally launched in October 2023 as a three-year initiative running until November 2026, AWE was designed to increase the participation of women-owned enterprises within MTN Uganda’s procurement ecosystem across sectors such as technology, logistics, facility management and commercial operations.
According to MTN Uganda, the first phase enabled more than 40 women-owned businesses to secure contracts worth over Shs18 billion, while 118 women entrepreneurs were onboarded in 2024 as part of a target to integrate 250 women suppliers by 2025.
Launching the second phase under the theme “She Means Business,” MTN Uganda chief executive Sylvia Mulinge said women entrepreneurs remain critical to Uganda’s economic transformation.
“Women entrepreneurs are essential contributors to Uganda’s economy. Through second phase of AWE, we are creating opportunities for women-led businesses to access corporate markets, strengthen their operational capacity and grow sustainably,” Mulinge said.
The programme comes amid growing concern globally that women-owned businesses continue to face barriers in accessing finance, markets and formal procurement opportunities. According to the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, women-led SMEs across developing economies continue to face major financing gaps despite their growing contribution to economic growth.
Margaret Karume, executive director at dfcu Bank, said the biggest challenge facing women entrepreneurs is not lack of ambition but limited access to systems that enable growth.
“What many of these women lacked was not ambition, because they had the ambition, but access. Access to markets, access to structured business knowledge, to networks, access to finance,” Karume said.
She noted that many women are increasingly entering sectors such as manufacturing, logistics and technology but often struggle to move from informal operations into structured businesses.
“You need proper financial records, sound systems, digital tools, procurement readiness, governance, compliance with the laws and regulations of the land and confidence to sit across the table from corporate customers and investors and say, my business is ready,” she added.
Karume described AWE as more than a training initiative.
“This is not simply a training program. It’s an ecosystem intentionally designed to move women-owned businesses from potential to participation and from participation to scale,” she said.
dfcu Bank disclosed that during the first phase of the programme, it opened 90 accounts for participating entrepreneurs and made available Shs30 billion in financing over the programme period. So far, Shs2 billion has been disbursed to 19 clients under contract financing arrangements.
Karume, however, cautioned that financing alone cannot build sustainable businesses.
“Capital without capability can limit sustainability,” she said.
Innovation Village co-founder Japheth Kawanguzi underscored the importance of collaboration and mentorship in enterprise growth.
“Partnerships are translating into tangible growth,” Kawanguzi said.
“Venture building and strengthening the enterprise is our role in this innovation.”
Business advisory expert William Nyakatura urged women entrepreneurs to focus on operational discipline if they are to sustain large corporate contracts.
“Manage your cash flow, unit costing, secure resilient supply chains, mind about your customer, they’re the king,” Nyakatura said.
He further advised SMEs to strengthen compliance, systems and internal processes.
“Build robust operations, master your finances, and build standard operating procedures. Statutory compliance are critical for business growth,” he added.
Nyakatura encouraged businesses that secure large corporate clients such as MTN Uganda and ATC Uganda to use the opportunity to accelerate growth.
“Grab that market quickly when you’ve two big customers like MTN and ATS,” he said.
Mabel Ndawula, executive director of dfcu Foundation, said many women-owned enterprises still struggle with financial management systems and working capital planning despite growing market opportunities.
“There should be a difference between business cash and money for personal or family needs,” Ndawula said.
She added that the programme would help businesses transition from manual operations into digitally managed enterprises capable of scaling sustainably.
