Prof. Samuel Sejjaaka (Left) and Mark Muyobo signing a strategic partnership agreement between NCBA Bank Uganda and MAT Abacus Business School. Courtesy of NCBA Bank Uganda
By Prisca Wanyenya
NCBA Bank Uganda has signed a deal with MAT Abacus Business School intended to facilitate training and mentoring of over 150 Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs).
This is aimed at boosting their credit worthiness and ease their access to credit, a challenge that has bogged the SMEs sector in Uganda.
The announcement was made on 25th June 2026, at NCBA Bank in Kampala, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, where Mark Muyobo, the Chief Executive Officer of NCBA Bank described the deal as a clear demonstration of the Bank’s commitment to transform and support Uganda’s SME sector owing to the fact that the sector is the backbone of Uganda’s economy.
“They (SMEs) drive growth, they create jobs, they fuel innovation. However, we also understand that many of these businesses face persistent challenges, particularly around access to financing, business skills, and governance. We are positioning NCBA to be a true growth partner for SMEs, this partnership reflects a fundamental belief we hold as NCBA, that access to finance alone is not enough. In order for businesses to be sustainable, access to finance is not enough, we actually also need to empower these businesses with knowledge and the capacity to succeed,” remarked Muyobo.
NCBA Bank added that the programme will help attract new customers and deepen the Bank’s relationship with its existing customers in order to create lasting impact among SMEs and boost their access to credit but to boost their growth and formalisation.
Muyobo added, “I think in this market, the main issue that SMEs face is collateral, so we have recognised that. So, once you go through the hands of Matt Abacus, we are able then to take a risk and not ask for additional security and therefore provide the unsecured lending solutions. So, Mat Abacus, your role as our enterprise development partner is very critical in this bold step. Through the structured SME clinics, the training, the advisory services, you will help to equip our customers with the tools they need in financial management, governance, compliance, and growth readiness.”
Samuel Sejjaaka, Principal, MAT Abacus Business School the new training and mentorship programme that is expected to run for 3-6 months per cohort will not be normal classroom teaching but will rather focus on people who are actually running businesses to be able to access financing from NCBA Bank.
He explained, “Very many times, these entrepreneurs come to the bank and ask for loans or to be granted financing in different forms but the main finding is always that they are not credit ready, they are not credit worthy. They are not credit worthy not because they don’t make good business, but because they do not meet the requirements that are expected by the banks. Remember commercial banks are regulated by Bank of Uganda, so for them to lend you money, they must make sure that you are credit worthy, that you have the right records and that you are able to have a good plan that you are going to execute in order to make money.”
According to NCBA Bank, the training will be free of charge for current NCBA Bank customers and prospective customers, and the syllabus will cater for areas of governance, taxation policies, legal compliance and the impacts the emerging global trends would have on their businesses.
Mayobo explained, “… NCBA is a regional bank and some of the things that we are looking at doing is for them to take advantage of our regional presence to exchange an exchange programme or to exchange ideas between SMEs here and SMEs within the region, that is Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. So, I believe that five years from now this will be a very successful programme as far as enabling the SMEs to actually grow.”
MAT Abacus Business School indicated that the syllabus will be curated to the peculiar requirements the SMEs face.
