21st-century Ugandan businesswomen

"Intellectual property is one of the single largest opportunities for companies to increase strategic business value, create new business opportunities, and accelerate barriers to entry for competitors. IP represents a significant, untapped opportunity for revenue generation,."

"The government of Uganda is well aware of the benefits and role that Intellectual Property can play to accelerate the socio-economic development of our country. The passing of the national IP policy aimed at stimulating effective and strategic use of intellectual property in all sectors in order to attain rapid economic development."

"Business enterprises irrespective of size must be innovative to remain relevant and competitive locally and regionally. However, innovators need to protect their intellectual property in order to gain from their creativity."

"Yes; I’m Maria Kiwanuka, I’m the owner of the newest radio station in Uganda. We need your business and you need our business."

"Math is too hard for us girls."

"First of all, all of us are stakeholders, there is no free lunch for everybody. There is no free finance. You must not say, let me take this money and run. In order to develop, we must stop thinking of getting money and disappear."

"We must respect the rule of the law. Borrowers must respect lenders and lenders must respect borrowers."

"Money is what makes the economy go round so financiers need to take a long overview to see how finances will be disbursed."

"If your SMEs are in line with inelastic demand, as a borrower, you can never go wrong because people need to eat and clothe themselves."

"A pig can actually have qualities to get someone out of poverty if properly looked after."

"It’s important that smallholder farmers integrate livestock into their farming. It’s feasible, productive and profitable."

"Today in Uganda and elsewhere, people use livestock not only for food and income, but also as a bank account and as insurance."

"We think old people are the ones who should have accomplishments. But when you are young, you are energetic then."

"No one wants a world full of the same people."

"Found the once troubled body ripe for change, and much as a lot has changed through various reforms, the transformation is not complete."

"Unlike Americans, in Africa, it is not easy to become famous within a short time. So I better focus on my businesses. I have kids and music will require so much of my time because I have to be on tour all through."

"Questions around how to conquer corruption are the reason the African Anti-Corruption Day was delegated by the African Union, to shift Africa to throw back on the causes and effects of corruption then work out solutions to end it and consequently redeem us from the chains of this subjections"

"When the masses understand that all the 140 billion dollars which we receive from the West in loans, grants, and aid ends up in a few people’s pockets, it will be them and their descendants to pay it back with interest. They will rise up to save that money. When we disclose corruption as that mysterious wealth, not in line with a public officer’s familiar source of income, they will stand up to safeguard their wealth"

"We need to have cooperation, proper coordination through the African Union committee. This means that after this meeting it is very important to put the report together and share with AU"

"One of the things that have happened over the last decade or so with social media is that it has democratized storytelling, because we used to have one medium i.e. the press, but now anyone can tell a story."

"Count means that every giving counts, you don’t have to be a billionaire, everything you give counts."

"The area we have chosen is giving, but giving is so multifaceted. Because as the conversation has to change among Africans, it also has to change in the West."

"For Asiimwe, giving in Africa has been a culture that will never fade off. From the time of our forefathers who carried a calabash full of local brew to visit their friends, to our mothers who made us carry baskets of food while visiting relatives, we have learned that a hand that giveth is the same hand that receiveth."

"There is something in me that stirred whenever there was injustice"

"Governance is my passion and for me, it’s an opportunity to serve. MTN is a listed company and I have worked in the capital markets area for a very long time and so it’s an opportunity to make a real contribution."

"For MTN, they have been around for like 24 years, this should be their 25th and this should be the turning point and milestone as a listed company. For me, it’s an interesting opportunity to walk this journey with MTN as a listed company."

"MTN’s board welcomes Prof. Kiryabwire to the team and expresses confidence that her wealth of experience and expertise will be invaluable in helping the company achieve its strategic goals and objectives."

"We credit Mr. Ahmad Maher for the great leadership that has brought the bank this far."

"He leaves the Bank in a better position."

"With a rebranded Bank, new core banking system, more new and refined products to enable us serve our customers better under our brand promise Growing with You."

"We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

"We recognize Mr. Ahmad Maher for his outstanding leadership that has guided the bank to this point."

"He departs leaving the Bank stronger with a refreshed brand, a modern core banking system, and an expanded range of improved products that enhance our ability to serve customers under our promise Growing with You."

"I'd be sacked if I worked here."

"I'm much too loud, you have a horrible office, I'm not coming back."

"The hand held hoe should no longer be a tool of production."

"There was an efficient extension service when I was growing up in the 1970s, but such extension is available to 14% or fewer farming households today."

"We need people to advise farmers on how to apply fertiliser."

"Control pests and prevent post-harvest losses such as those caused by inadequate storage."

"Donors should focus on those higher up the value chain."

"It is enterprises that are the critical drivers, they drive demand from farmers."

"If donors want to achieve their objectives, if they want to improve livelihoods, they should focus on businesses that add value to output."

"Why not cut and paste for Uganda."

"To bring a seed from breeder stage to the market can take three years."

"But loans often are for a maximum of 12 months. Twenty-year loans are needed at low rates."

"We can't operate our business without water, electricity or an access road,"

"This environment motivated me to start Victoria Seeds in 2002 because the policy was favorable."

"You need confidence and to believe in yourself."

"When I told my friends I was starting a seed company they thought I was out of my mind."

"That is a business for men, they told me."

"I pushed on and even picked up a name that would inspire me every day."

"But what did I do? I went to a research project the East African Agricultural Productivity Programme and presented my plan."

"They wrote me a letter to take to the bank to guarantee my loan if I fail to repay it."

"The bank then accepted to give me startup capital."

"In 2006 I was an AWARD grantee at IITA and this really transformed me as an individual."

"The following year I got the YARA award."

"The training was for scientists but they brought me in as a woman in business."

"Everyone said I was out of my mind."

"They said business is a male dominated area and that the private seed industry hardly existed in Uganda."

"The bank actually shut the door in my face."

"They told me I don’t have a business history and they cannot run such a risk. *They were not going to give me any money."

"I named it after the largest body of water on the continent."

"I felt it showed that I will always be here."

"In the early years it gave me the confidence every day to wake up and say, I am not going anywhere."

"Who would have thought so many years ago that as the only girl-child of four siblings my path would lead to Uganda’s electricity distribution utility and managing such an important public service."

"In Africa it is said that ‘it takes a village to raise a child."

"I was fortunate to grow up in an extended family environment."

"I went to a faith based girls’ only school where discipline and values were instilled in us."

"This I believe is the important cornerstone that gave me the courage to follow a career path probably not traditionally set out for women."

"One of the early defining moments in my working career was during my first job as a sales executive in a company dealing in office equipment."

"When I had contracted a sale, which was ten times the average salesperson’s daily output."

"It dawned on me that there are no limitations to the possibilities that can be achieved."

"Through dedication, commitment to results and hard work, I held the power to succeed."

"I joined the energy sector as a graduate trainee in 1996."

"I rose through the ranks to executive level at Umeme Ltd."

"Energy distribution company listed on the Ugandan and Kenyan stock exchanges."

"At the time of my intern year, the graduate training programme, which ran for two intensive years and hosted by the then publicly owned utility was a public entity."

"This exposed me to the entire business."

"Today I am managing 600 permanent employees and 1,000 contracted staff."

"I am proud to be the first female Executive Director to the board of Umeme Limited, a company and sector for which I hold so much passion."

"Through my efforts together with the Umeme team, the country has been able to more than double the number of households."

"That are connected to electricity over the past 10 years."

"The increase in access to electricity has improved the livelihood of households and communities and Uganda and has been."

"We have close to 1,500 people benefiting from the project."

"I think I’ve evolved over the years, but right now, I’d call myself a passionate learner of life."

"My entire career has been around advertising, communications and marketing, but I just have a passion and a zest for life, for brands and for people."

"Those three pillars; life, brands and people, that’s who I am."

"I am a graduate, of journalism."

"I graduated from Makerere University."

"I having my career then evolving into advertising; working with advertising agencies and then going into marketing and communications as my broad field of specialization."

"That’s who I am."

"From what people see from the professional side, I’m a lover of sports."

"I also like to see myself as a believer in people."

"I do quite a bit in terms of mentoring and lifting people up."

"Any opportunity I get to lift others is a gift."

"I take that with a big spoon."

"I am a Jesus lover and that really underpins my values as a person."

"What else can I say about me?"

"I’m into public speaking, I take any opportunity, like every week, I am speaking to some people."

"I’m frequently doing public speaking engagements."

"I and the microphone can’t be put apart."

"I’d describe my childhood as ‘very protected and yet very instrumental in who I am today’."

"Why do I say protected?"

"I say protected because my parents did their level best to afford us the best of what they could offer."

"I come from a huge extended family, and so there were always big cousins around, and protected in terms of when I look back now, in terms of privilege, because there’s so much that we could do that the average family could not do at the time."

"That’s why I’ll say protected."

"When I say very pivotal in who I am today, it also made me very independent because I was put in boarding school when I was seven years old."

"Once you’re put in boarding school at a very young age, you’ve got to figure out life on your own quite early."

"That, then, made me be in a protected environment and yet helped me develop into a very independent person."

"When I look back at my childhood, I’ve got fond memories of big family gatherings."

"I’ve got fond memories of being in a private British school in Kenya."

"I’ve got fond memories of childhood friends that I can no longer trace, because we were in this private British school."

"Once you come into secondary school, then you start forming lifelong relationships, especially from my secondary school and those are the lifelong relationships that I have now."

"I have fond memories of growing up in Kenya, Nairobi."

"Even when I go there now, I smell the air and it brings back childhood memories."

"That’s my childhood."

"My career journey is one I’m really grateful for, because obviously, I have worked for the big corporations that come to mind."

"When I joined MTN Uganda as advertising manager, prior to that I’d been with advertising agencies so I have many years of advertising experience."

"I joined MTN as an Advertising Manager and then Brand Manager."

"And then from there, I went to Commercial Microfinance Bank as the Head of Marketing and Retail."

"I went to DFCU Bank as Head of Marketing and Communications."

"I then took a break for a year. After the sabbatical and I joined Vision Group, a media conglomerate."

"I never need more than three years because after three years, I feel like, ‘Okay."

"I think I’ve done what I came to do here."

"I move on to the next challenge, because I love challenges."

"I don’t like to sit in a place where I feel like I’m being paid, but I’m not really doing much."

"I am not adding any more value."

"Sometimes that calls for crazy decision making, but I love challenges."

"I love to feel that when I wake up in the morning, and I go to work, I’m going to make a difference."

"I’m going to add value to the company."

"That’s why my previous work stints were all three years, until I got to Vision Group where I surprised myself by lasting eight years."

"I guess why I survived eight years, so to speak, is because I kept re-inventing my role such that by the time I left, my role had grown by leaps and bounds as I kept re-inventing it and adding responsibilities and finding new ways to keep myself challenged."

"My career path has really been one where when I look back, intentional, and yet not intentional by my standards."

"I honestly see the hand of God leading and guiding me and placing me in different institutions and I doing my bit and and always giving my best."

"I’ve always pushed myself no matter what task I’m given, to give my best and I think that remains one of my principles."

"That work ethic hasn’t changed and right now I’m trying to teach it to my team at Urge Uganda."

"That work ethic where nothing is impossible and you can do all things."

"I learned that work ethic while I worked at Scanad."

"My first gig at an advertising agency, two years fresh out of university."

"I was like, ‘Whoa what is this?’ Because we were working hard and burning the midnight oil."

"I guess this was the same at even my university because we would be up at midnight, you know, typing work and everything."

"People would hand in written work but Mass Communications’ students even before the age of computers."

"We were typing and that really taught us to stay up late, work hard, you know, burn the midnight oil."

"So, just those two first years of my career after university really taught me the work ethic that enabled me now to excel in these different places that I went to."

"I had hit the ceiling. Even when I chose not to renew my contract, it was really because I had done everything that I had been tasked to do."

"I had reached the areas where I felt the company should be going to, and I had kind of like stalled."

"I realised that the company could do with new energy that would then take them to the next level."

"I needed to find other ways to pour out, to use my knowledge."

"I also felt that it could best be expressed in starting a company of my own. So that’s really why I left."

"What I loved about Makerere was the sports."

"It facilitated my interactions with a number of people."

"I was the Hockey Captain for Mary Stuart Hall."

"I was swimming, playing basketball and squash."

"In the mornings, the guys would come round, pick us and we would jog around the university while singing mchaka mchaka songs."

"In the market place now, a lot of people will relate to you simply because you went to Makerere."

"My feel is that there are presently few graduates who are able to think critically and hold valuable conversations."

"We understand the need to employ young people, but their skill, knowledge, eye for detail, and commitment to excellence isn’t there."

"It’s dragging us back! I could make the byline as an intern."

"The guys in the newsroom are struggling because they spend hours rewriting and editing stories."

"I would be lying if I said I planned my career."

"To change and adapt to the Mass Communication field and go with what it offered me was divine guidance."

"God has opened doors for me to have experiences that now serve me in this role."

"I have questioned moves like leaving MTN for Commercial Microfinance because moving from corporate to downtown opposite Owino was a mind-boggling experience."

"We need to empower the private sector including small and medium business (SMA's) with skills of harnessing the consumption of the renewable energy resources."

"The aim of the Product is to enable Ugandans access electricity in off grid areas by addressing the affordability barrier arising from the up-front cost of solar systems."

"This is in line with the National Development Plan (NDPIII) Sustainable Energy Program objectives of increasing access and utilization of electricity."

"Increasing adoption and use of clean energy and promotion of utilization of energy efficient practices and technologies."

"Our new partnership with Equity Bank Uganda will enable us reach more people through their countrywide customer network."

"The most appropriate technology to bring down energy losses, sustain a rigorous safety regime and invest in strengthening the network to improve the quality and reliability of supply."

"The company was pleased with the good operational performance during the year highlighted by further reductions in distribution losses and above-target revenue collections."

"My Dear Ladies of Substance, I welcome you all from the voting exercise and thank you for participating in big numbers."

"Indeed this level of participation has been unprecedented."

"That speaks of your interest in TCNOGA and strong desire to move it to greater heights."

"I thank God and the Holy Trinity for bringing us this far."

"For His unquestionable love for TCN & TCNOGA, and pray His grace continues to go before us."

"I thank you ladies for electing me as your next TCNOGA Pesident."

"A position I humbly accept."

"Thank you for believing in me, for accepting the dream i have for TCNOGA."

"Thanks for giving me another chance to serve, this time as your PRESIDENT."

"In a special way allow me to thank my family, my husband and children, who encouraged me from the time i conceived the idea for presidency."

"I thank my campaign team led by cohort 93 to 98!! Ladies."

"You rock the other cohort leaders who rallied behind me."

"I want to thank Theresa Nabyonga a young lady at Campus who rallied all the young girls."

"I look forward to that same energy during my term."

"I thank Mrs. Francesca Kakooza and everyone who offered themselves for leadership for your zeal for a better TCNOGA."

"We remain one TCNOGA, and look forward to working with you."

"I thank everyone who has participated in one way or another."

"The IT team, all your efforts shall still be needed as we begin the real work now."

"We shall work with you all, listen to you and engage you in our quest to move TCNOGA further."

"I thank the outgoing President Mrs Immaculate Lwanga and her committee under whose leadership I have flourished."

"Our Founders all past leaders, for on your shoulders we stand."

"The project is about giving back to the community and ensuring a strong foundation for the next generation of women leaders."

"We have already laid the foundation stone for the junior school."

"The progress so far is a testament to the alumi commitment."

"Through networking, training, and mentoring opportunities, we shall break barriers in male dominated business sectors, providing our female clients with access to larger volumes of growth capital."

"You’ll get knocked down many times and there’ll be tears, sweat and self doubt,but dust yourself and keep moving. That’s the go-getter spirit."

"Your network is your net-worth."

"Is a quote I hear a lot and I believe it’s true."

"My strategy for everything I’m passionate about is to invest in knowing 2 to 3 people more knowledgeable than me about my area of interest and purpose to learn from them."

"Humility is knowing that there’s always someone better than you at something and that there’s always someone who wants to learn from you."

"I invest in building a strong network of people I look up to and also build a similar network of people I can help mentor."

"Through research and utilizing my networks, I create a lot of opportunities for myself."

"Technological Innovation can be a driving force in creating long term solutions for many of the issues we face in our communities today."

"My definition of innovation is finding a new way of problem solving that’s relevant, resilient and disruptive of the status quo in nature."

"When I look around me, I see many problems that need to be solved in different sectors; energy, water and sanitation, health, education."

"What’s happened over the years is that millennials are more empowered to step into the entrepreneurship and innovation space to come up with ways to solve some of the most pressing needs using enterprise and innovation."

"This space excites me a lot because the possibilities are endless."

"I’ve been involved with lots of innovations as a mentor and implementer."

"Learning that is personalized, unique and treats each child as different is key to helping children thrive."

"When children are in one big class, it’s easy for educators to treat them as equals but what you don’t realize is that each child is unique and learns differently."

"Some thrive in a group setting, some grasp the information quickly from a teacher, and others prefer to learn on their own."

"What’s important is finding unique aspects of each child’s learning ability and capitalizing on that to make them better."

"That’s why the concept of Blended learning where teaching is done partly using technology and traditional teaching methods works better for young children."

"It can be as simple as using technology and complementing that with a teacher, or adding different aspects like peer-to-peer learning, self learning and technology."

"The blended learning approach helped children learn better and retain the knowledge more easily."

"I would say the recognition from Anita Borg Institute as the Change Agent Award winner still tops my milestones."

"Helping a couple of start-ups gain a foothold and start operations."

"lending a hand in helping mentor young women in technology are other key ones."

"I was never afraid to do things."

"I did a lot of things my brothers did and choosing tech was a no brainer."

"I felt it was an open field; if boys can do it, I too can."

"I see tech as an enabler."

"I became interested in computer science around the age of eighteen when I was exposed to computers for the first time."

"But even long before that my father had always encouraged to me to study sciences."

"His dream was for me to become a doctor, but I hated chemistry and anything to do with blood so that just wasn’t going to happen."

"The two subjects I loved were physics and mathematics, so I focused on those."

"After secondary school, while waiting to decide what I would study at university, I worked at a university library which had a computer lab."

"This was where I got the opportunity to sit in front of a computer for the very first time."

"I was fascinated from day one and I remember asking the lady in charge so many questions to try and understand how computers worked."

"Every single evening after that, I found an excuse to go to the lab, sometimes not leaving until very late."

"I researched what career opportunities existed within this new world of computers that I had discovered and went on to opt for computer science at university."

"During my career I realized I loved the process of setting up new systems."

"For a while I worked for a large corporation in the telecommunications sector."

"I joined them at a time when they were doing a lot of setup work which I really enjoyed."

"When it became much more about maintenance, I grew bored."

"Having previously been with a small IT support company."

"I also found that I missed being on the front line, working directly with clients and making things happen."

"I moved on to join a startup called Solar Sister which distributes solar solutions and empowers rural women to better their livelihoods."

"This was a perfect fit because I loved the idea of using technology to make a difference in the lives of everyday people."

"I was also their first hire in Uganda and was entrusted with setting up their operations here."

"This experience made me fall in love with entrepreneurship and gave me the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of setting up a small organization from scratch. ‎*After that I knew I wanted to start my own organization."

"I always have this question that I always ask people and leaders in Uganda. Why are condoms easily accessible compared to had anything to do with production? Did in that time of the month that you would walk into a restaurant, and these are both of free condoms."

"There is not a booth of reasonable pants or pants in general? Or you would even in primary schools or some government schools, you would say there is a counselor who has sometimes sanitary towels that are available, but all the time they're not available."

"If you cannot tell your menstruation periods, please don't come this month, I'm broke."

"I am not in the mood."

"I'm going to travel or I'm going to a restaurant. And I don't think I will get has their own going to a school. And or I'm feeling or my parents are poor."

"My prayers do not come this time. So I always ask everybody always ask a scholar is as the local community, that way you're making sure that people are not getting having safe sex."

"We are expanding our small bags program in South Africa, and Limpopo. So with called Echo’s foundation there, we plan to have sales there be business to business where they would buy for people don't give out and or business to consumer."

"With each bubble you're selling in South Africa, you're making another that we're going to give out for free in, Uganda."

"I'm at a summit in Ghana, we are also expanding to Ghana, to try and help so many women with us my back to expand us man back to be impactful for young girls in all over Africa. And later on, we're also expanding to Tanzania. So if you're in any of these countries, most of all South Africa or Ghana, and you feel you would love to support or affiliate with us."

"You can always contact me by our pages. For Smart Girls Uganda, and also my personal pages."

"I'm very quick to reply. I'm always on social media, because people."

"I want to unpack that a little bit. So for those of us like myself, who've never been to Uganda, what is it like for the majority of young girls there who are primary school age, high school age? Are they also experiencing some of the same things that you experienced?."

"I was really encouraged to start Smart Girls was the fact that, for me, in going through the bullying."

"Going through menstrual bullying and stigma, I was from a privileged family of sorts. We weren't so poor, but the more I got to find out about the girls that live in Uganda, they were going through even worse situations than I was."

"Can you imagine even 60% of new HIV infections in Uganda are by adolescent girls?"

"We're not doing so much in trying to keep girls in school, in trying to prevent them from getting teenage pregnancies, and having them access friendly reproductive health services."

"Something as simple as a reusable pad is keeping them out of school."

"Something as simple as access to light, to water is keeping them out of school."

"The situation here for girls is a bit alarming."

"Some of us who have been lucky. That's why I ended up setting Smart Girls to try and make sure those were been a lucky a little bit, can give back to the girls were not lucky like us."

"I want to go deeper into this. So there's clearly a problem. And women are young girls need help."

"The attention has always been on the African continent."

"What is changing is the direction it has taken to improve the investment environment."

"Africa has long been known for supplying raw materials to a number of developed countries."

"The awareness that Africa is a sleeping giant has gained momentum in the recent past and investors have increased their appreciation for the fact that Africa potentially offers maximum financial returns."

"Decision making in the private sector is very swift and responsive to changes that augment development."

"We aim at enhancing business development, developing shareholder value and ameliorating monetary returns."

"As profit-orientated organizations, when we see opportunities we go for them, and ride on the right business environment."

"It is easy to do business in Rwanda. The Rwandan system is well structured and transparent. The vision of the country is clear and the next steps are clear."

"We know what to do, where to go and what to expect."

"Rwanda is one of the fastest growing African countries and it is only befitting to take advantage of opportunities that come with the growth."

"Rwanda has risen from its ashes to gain visibility on the world stage."

"There is strong governance and a motivated population. Everyone here is working together towards the betterment of the nation and its greatness lies in making things work."

"Banking becomes personal. If you have been in a bank for years, you have naturally created a long-term relationship based on trust."

"The fact that we have successfully penetrated this market, the fact that we have invested time and money in our operations, shows that we have a commitment towards Rwanda."

"I can say is: come and try our service, We are committed to giving Rwandans a memorable banking experience and the best customer service."

"It is never easy for starters, but I know that there is room for Crane Bank."

"We offer the same excellent service that has been delivered in Uganda."

"We have constructed similar business structures and have devoted an equal commitment to enhancing IT development."

"We use the same branding strategy."

"Our customers are happy with our excellent service and are our ambassadors out there."

"It is a matter of time and we shall be able to get where we want to be."

"We talk about sexual education in school, why not mental health."

"We can only ride on the Government structure to do this because it can be well taught in the syllabus."

"Mental health in an equal world."

"In order to be believed by the others, you must believe in yourself and be strict and serious about improving yourself to get the right skills for your dream job."

"I am a Chartered Accountant and have Masters in Business Administration and many other useful certificates that improved my mental capabilities to lead and manage."

"It has not been an easy journey though, especially when you find yourself in boardrooms that are male-dominated. *Once you are able to disregard all the demotivators and overcome all distractions, the sky can only be the known limit. Women should use their multitasking skills to become great leaders."

"I am calling upon Government to reduce the inequality gap in terms of treatment, allocation of budget. We are saying, at least add 1%."

"We are fighting hard to become a commercial bank. We want to become one as soon as we get all the finances."

"Since 2010 when we started on the process of transforming into a bank, which involves a lot of costs, we have been able to post profits and will continue to do so."

"We are going to aggressively mobilize free deposits."

"The banking platform presents an opportunity for innovation to serve our customers better with a variety of products and value added services that will make banking a reality for the financially excluded people by making services more accessible, convenient and affordable."

"I think everything is achievable if a proper decision is made, supported by a great team dedicated to hard work, diligence, tenacity, humility, and trust in God."

"I believe the life we lead is a result of the choices we make."

"I always want to get the best out of anything I decide to do."

"I never want to commit to anything I am not sure I will be able to deliver."

"I fear failure! I had to put a lot of effort into building this firm and other ventures I am engaged in; overcoming gender preconceptions in society."

"Time management is my mantra."

"I ensure I organize my work and over time."

"I have developed systems that are functional, and able to deliver client results with minimal involvement on my side."

"I am a person who is obsessed with quality in everything I do. I dislike mediocrity. Please read the novel ‘Woman of Substance’ by Barbara Taylor Bradford, you will understand."

"I developed greater passion for my job, greater passion for the institution."

"I work for and for the women,"

"The way I carry myself is not the way I used to carry myself."

"I developed confidence.”"

"The message is simple, ONA must work for everyone."

"The trader crossing a border, the student studying abroad, and the operator investing in networks."

"Closing the gaps in ONA will unlock vast opportunities."

"By partnering with the Uganda Railway to deploy fibre along the existing rail infrastructure, Bayobab is bringing reliable, high-speed internet to communities along the route and reinforcing regional interconnectivity."

"Spanning 260 kilometres from Kampala through Tororo to Malaba at the Kenya border, the route forms a critical part of the regional digital backbone."

"Connecting directly to Bayobab’s subsea cable landing stations in Mombasa, Kenya."

"Constructed between December 2024 and February 2025, this route completes a seamless digital corridor from Kampala to the coast, following the recent launch of the Mombasa–Malaba/Busia fibre link in Kenya."

"Supporting over one terabyte of capacity, the route offers high-speed, low-latency connectivity to major data centres in Kampala, including Raxio, Airtel House, and MTN Uganda."

"It is expected to significantly enhance service delivery for telecoms, ISPs, and global tech firms operating in the region."

"This new route complements existing MTN fibre infrastructure across multiple corridors, including Busia–Jinja–Kampala and Malaba–Lira–Masindi–Kampala."

"Offering network redundancy and increased reliability."

"It is a vital addition for Uganda, a landlocked country whose international internet access relies on robust cross-border connectivity."

"Noting its alignment with Uganda’s national agenda to expand digital services and bridge the rural-urban connectivity gap."

"The new route enhances network resilience and provides valuable redundancy for Uganda’s digital infrastructure."

"We started this initiative after realising there was a gap in creative sector to empower youth and women who are engaging in making artisanal products."

"There are so many projects to skill youths and women, little or no emphasis has been put on marketing their products."

"We developed a platform to help them market the products across the globe."

"This has encouraged me because the youth and women artisans have got visibility for their products."

"With the launched e-commerce platform, the products can be easily bought."

"Arthur Kasirye is a valuable member of the WordPress community in Uganda."

"He is the leader of three communities"

"The Elementor, WooCommerce, and WordPress Community in Uganda."

"Heis an ardent polygon that has continuously supported the translation of WordPress into local Ugandan languages, mainly English to Luganda."

"I was doing digital marketing for a guy selling men’s clothes, watches, and other men’s outfits."

"I would read about the trending fashion styles and then copyright."

"I did it for some time until I thought of creating an agency to do online marketing for other businesses."

"Not only did I grow to love fashion, but I always wanted to challenge the status quo because when I was growing up, I observed people's mindset towards my mother as a fashion designer."

"People often said that tailoring is a job for the uneducated."

"I wanted to change their mindset that it is not for the uneducated but also the reason people can not walk naked."

"To start with, a lot of women are the ones in charge of their kitchens at home, and many of us are happy knowing we are able to access food specialties from back home."

"Its spices or knowing there is some matooke in the fridge."

"Pregnant women or women who just gave birth tend to have cravings for their comfort food, which in most cases is food they grew up eating like matooke."

"Our community has a lot of young women who are becoming parents and we love that we are able to provide that for them."

"We also work with women mainly in our supply chain."

"Our key buyer in Uganda is a woman."

"It’s important that we are providing extra income to the local farmers in Uganda, who are mainly women."

"We have women who wake up as early as 4a.m. to go to the farms in Kasese, to pick out which produce is suitable for export."

"Chakula Tamu has become more than a place you buy food. *People come here to socialize."

"To share with us. To share with one another. To share recipes."

"It’s more than just a grocery store."

"It began with one of the co-founders’ love for matooke. Matooke, also known as the East African Highland banana, is one of the staple foods of Uganda."

"We will be giving away a basket of organic East African food matooke, baby bananas (ndizi), garden egg (ntula), and more."

"As the business has grown, I also get a lot of satisfaction when I see my customer’s faces light up when they come to the store and see products from back home. *It’s now bigger than just me. It’s also now about the community. And the relationships we have built."

"I have nurtured and hired the best talent in the industry."

"I am taking on my next challenge of unlocking the industrialization challenge in East Africa."

"Ring-fencing of NTV’s news leadership as the Number One most watched and trusted source of news and talent growth”."

"Our talent is most watched and most preferred across news and entertainment."

"I do not know whether it’s because of our history"

"Most Ugandans have a lot of low self-esteem, they feel ashamed of themselves."

"Adults learn when they want to learn."

"80 percent of adult learning is on their own, so they compare what you are telling them with what they already know."

"You engage intellectually and through experience."

"It’s fun but also very taxing."

"Circumstances usually make women."

"If their marriage is not working or they have an issue with their sexuality, they feel so down trodden and nothing."

"You need to hook up with people who have some strength in this area and start walking a deliberate path."

"In our first year of marriage, my husband organised a surprise birthday party and bought me an expensive watch. *He wrapped it in many things and he made me look for it. I was like this man actually loves me."

"I believe that life is for living, don’t live with regret."

"If you feel something, do something about it. Don’t make yourself a victim, be a victor."

"Be focused. Life is a journey and I am a traveler."

"I have my personal roadmap and I have a destination."

"I shouldn’t try to go to other people’s roads but stick to mine."

"2001 Km in the city total coverage. About 30% is already tarmacked."

"That tells you that there are already two thirds that need tarmacking."

"If we are going to tarmac 70km, it leaves a gap and that is a funding gap but everything can be done in one financial year."

"We are saying we need more funding and the government is supporting us."

"When we procure contractors, they sign agreements and this includes how they should work, when they should be paid, what is the period after work is finished that they should continue taking care of the roads."

"It is maybe something that we need to look more into where the roads are not lasting the timeline that we expected them to last but ideally, they should last 15 years ,20 years."

"It will bring much needed relief."

"If you think of a road like Salaama Road."

"One of the outcries in the city has been Salaama Road and then the whole area of the industrial area."

"All these roads are going to be done."

"This will help to improve the business environment, easing movements."

"It will bring a lot of ease in the city apart from time. *It will also take away dust which affects most people’s businesses."

"When money is spent and not spent well, that is something to worry about."

"If a road which is supposed to last 20 years and within a very short time you see is already breaking down, that should worry any administrator."

"Those are things that we are set to look into."

"I was struggling to find myself, I came to learn that no matter what environment you are in, never lose yourself."

"I lost myself very many times because I wanted to be like everybody else but you cannot be like everybody else."

"You cannot, yes you are wearing the same uniform, you are doing everything but you cannot."

"And for me that struggle turned out to be a life transforming experience."

"We need to change the mind-set and create impact."

"I cannot do this alone."

"We need to work with more people."

"We have a very young population at our disposal and if not guided, we stand a chance of losing out on their abilities and worse losing them."

"By the time one is 20 the mind is made up, if you can get into someone’s mind at 13, you can plant a seed."

"The time one is 18, their mind is already made up to transform the communities."

"If we are to do big things, we have to identify the problems within our communities and find solutions to fix them."

"The people with the solutions are the young people we are not giving the opportunity."

"When you give young people a platform, you will be surprised at how much they are capable of doing on their own."

"I have seen young people come up with innovations that are transforming communities."

"There is more to life than winning a trophy."

"I have been working young people for the last 15 years."

"I have had to unlearn, learn and relearn a lot of things. *Someone is never too young to start impacting others."

"As a society, we have a common challenge."

"We do not trust our children enough."

"We want to do everything for them which is wrong."

"We need to allow them to flourish."

"Stanbic Bank has been a pillar in my life since 2014 till toayIt has become family."

"We have changed so many lives over the years both internally and externally."

"We have cried laughed played and created unbreakable bonds."

"I am a true believer of living your truth and purpose."

"My journey with youth and women empowerment through transformational growth steers me in a new direction."

"I now have a chance to make a much BIGGER impact in the SME sector."

"I cannot wait to walk this journey with you! Let’s change the status quo and inspire development in Uganda together."

"I was blessed to work for an employer that allowed me to follow my dreams and execute them."

"That is something that doesn’t happen often."

"There have been lessons learned that I will take to the next phase in my life."

"It has been an honour working with Stanbic Bank Uganda and our bond will only grow stronger."

"Maximizing opportunities in linking the oil and gas sector with other sectors of the economy” at the 3rd Annual National Content Conference at Serena Hotel in Kampala."

"No matter where you are, you can morph and grab opportunities that the oil and gas sector presents."

"Even if you are a farmer, you can play in the oil and gas sector."

"If you are playing in the education sector, there is a way you can come in."

"You can plug into these opportunities wherever you are."

"We started changing our story in 2019."

"From a mere bank to a holding company to grab opportunities that come with the oil and gas sector."

"If you get a contract and may want to borrow to finance it, the cost of borrowing is going to go high."

"Put that in your plan."

"We need to worry about inflation."

"It is important that we mind about the framework under which we operate."

"This is going to be shocker than usual."

"Creating Lasting Value through Enhanced National Participation to Accelerate Uganda’s Socio-Economic Transformation."

"Uganda remains an attractive investment destination, having improved its position on the ease of doing business index over the years."

"With a fully liberalised economy offering security of investment, investors enjoy free inflow and outflow of capital, 100% foreign ownership of investments and the benefits of Uganda as a signatory to major international investment protection agreements like MIGA, OPIC and CREFAA."

"Uganda has robust GDP growth and remarkable demographics. 68% of Uganda’s population is under the age of 24 years and the population is expected to grow from 37 million today to 96 million in 2050."

"SMEs in Uganda are keen to participate in the oil and gas sector."

"We also recognise that SMEs are a key engine of economic growth in Uganda and we are ranked as a top entrepreneurial country in the world, with over 160,000 MSMEs operating in Uganda."

"Accounting for 90% of the entire private sector. SMEs employ over 2.5 million people."

"Despite their significant contribution to GDP, SMEs face numerous challenges including skills and knowledge gaps and access to both finance and markets."

"To support SME involvement in oil and gas, we established the Stanbic Business Incubator, which aims to provide business development training programmes to SMEs to scale them up for opportunities in the oil and gas sector and the wider economy."

"Stanbic continues to play a critical role in the transformation of Uganda’s economy."

"Over the years, the bank has been instrumental in supporting Uganda’s economic growth through investments in key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, the SME sector, power and infrastructure, and Uganda’s budding oil and gas sector."

"If a customer is granted a holiday for example for 3 months, they will not pay their installment for those months however at the end of the 3 months."

"The delayed installments including interest will be added back to their loans and installments will start again. *This will mean that there may be a slight change in the installment amount paid."

"The loan will also be extended by the period of the holiday."

"All loan information is submitted to the Credit Reference Bureau and customers are rated according to performance on their loan obligations."

"Normally a restructure would affect the customer’s credit rating negatively however for this period that is between 1st April 2020 and 1st April 2021."

"If a restructure or moratorium is granted, the customer’s records within the credit reference bureau will not be affected in line with guidance from Bank of Uganda."

"All customers who have been affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic are eligible for restructures and holidays on a case by case basis."

"The Bank understands that customers may have been affected differently by this crisis and may have unique needs."

"Customers may actually want to pay back their loans early so as to remove this ‘burden’ on their revenues."

"It is therefore necessary to consider the impact of the virus and government restrictions such as the lockdown on each business before applying for a holiday or restructure."

"The Bank is reaching out to various employers to establish the impact of the pandemic and agree on relief packages for their staff who have borrowed under a scheme arrangement."

"Individual or personal customers can proactively reach out for support by sending a request for a restructure or holiday to the Bank specifying the impact of the virus on their ability to continue payment and attach evidence such as an E-mail or Letter clearly stating the impact of COVID-19 as the reason for unpaid leave, termination or redundancy."

"Depending on the impact of the crisis, a customer may apply for a repayment holiday between 1 to 12 months effective 1st April 2020."

"It is necessary to do a proper analysis of the business to determine the best period for the holiday taking into account."

"The need to show that there will be a sustainable source of income after the holiday period."

"Business customers should provide management accounts for quarter 1, 2020 that will provide a view of their performance before COVID-19."

"In order to show the impact, there is need to show through a narrative or documentation."

"The process of evaluation and approval will take an average of 1week."

"The customer will need to agree to the new terms before changes are complete."

"Customers can approach the Bank to request for new loans after a restructure or holiday and the Bank shall consider the unique circumstances before any final decisions are made."

"Digital micro-loans such as LetsGo Pesa loans by Airtel Money and Letshego which was launched in September this year."

"Is a fintech breaking down these barriers by offering financial services to anyone with an Airtel Money account, regardless of location."

"By leveraging mobile technology, a parent can access a loan between UGX20,000 and UGX700,000 payable in 30 days. *The said parent can go ahead to skip the long traditional bank lines and pay his/her child’s school fees through Airtel Money School pay."

"The Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) Market Performance Report 4Q FY 2023/24 (April – June 2024) stated that the second quarter of 2024 recorded 38.5 million active mobile subscriptions and 44.2 million mobile money registrations so far."

"This is an indication that as mobile penetration continues to increase, digital loans will only become prevalent."

"The demand for digital loans is expected to grow, driven by the convenience and speed that they offer while evolving to offer more personalized and flexible financial services."

"As more Ugandans become digitally literate and mobilesavvy, digital loans will continue to revolutionize financial inclusion."

"With the country’s young, tech-oriented population, the adoption of digital-first financial solutions will be more popular."

"We are excited to partner with Stabex International to further promote digital financial inclusion in Uganda. *Airtel Money has always been committed to delivering innovative, secure, and borderless financial services to our customers."

"Through this partnership, our customers can now make cashless transactions for fuel purchases and access other services at Stabex fuel stations across the country using their mobile wallets."

"This partnership will also allow Stabex customers making cashless payments to enter a draw for a chance to win exciting prizes in our ongoing nationwide Vroomula Amajja campaign."

"These prizes include a brand-new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid sports utility vehicle (SUV), motorbikes, and e-money."

"Women in Business sets dfcu apart as the bank is specifically looking to empower women."

"dfcu has been a trailblazer in promoting women in business, offering tailor-made support and networking opportunities to help them in their business endeavours."

"During one of first trainings in Isingiro district we took the women to open accounts in the bank."

"Many had never stepped in a banking hall before."

"When one woman got her ATM card she broke down and cried. *When I asked her what the problem was, she said that for the first time in her life she had a place to keep her money safely."

"Overall, more than 80,000 women are enrolled in the dfcu Women in Business Program."

"On the celebration of our 60th anniversary, we reaffirm our pledge to the women of Uganda- dfcu Bank is committed to walk the entirety of your financial journey with you."

"From our inception to date, we have fulfilled the the mandate of what we started in 2007 and we will continue to do so."

"Women who are half the population of the country, have been marginalized for a long time."

"By uplifting them you are unlocking their value which will not only be beneficial to them but to the society as a whole."

"Our management style seeks to satisfy the interests of the different categories of members ranging from individual to cooperative members."

"As the chairperson of the Board, I make decisions guided by strategic plans."

"I have an oversight over management for implementation."

"More women are getting involved in entrepreneurship legalising and professionalising their businesses with records."

"Women are no longer doing business as usual."

"More products by women are finding their way into supermarkets and other retail chains as women invest in branding and packaging."

"Looking at the history, most women were in agriculture but today more are taking up trade."

"We have diversification into construction and manufacturing."

"More women are also becoming information interested to keep up to date with market trends."

"They have taken up research and use it to improve on their products."

"Women make up 52.5% of the labour force and are an important pool of potential talent to help Uganda meet its development goals, especially in entrepreneurship and micro, small and medium enterprises growth."

"Women make up 52.5% of the labour force and are an important pool of potential talent to help Uganda meet its development goals."

"In entrepreneurship and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) growth."

"We created a platform where aspiring and women entrepreneurs come together to support each other."

"Women are taken through training to make them better business people."

"Women professionals in formal employment are not boldly going into business and when they choose to join, the biggest challenge is how to manage the business."

"Women join business not from a professional point of view but for reasons like getting an extra income or after loss of a job."

"UWEAL helps women depending on the challenges."

"For challenges of business management, we take women through how to manage business in terms of finance, human resource."

"With access to finance, the Women Investment Club helps together with the linkages we create with other financial institutions."

"We are addressing it through the cooperatives strategy to link women to markets."

"We put women together to have the volumes and product standards that can fit regional and global markets."

"We have created a database of markets, what is demanded, and in what quantities and standards."

"We are currently running a project with Trademark East Africa targeting 4000 women engaged in urban trade and 400 women who are engaged in light processing for export."

"Individual women business will grow by over 30% in the next few years."

"More women shall also have their products certified and access bigger markets."

"We have gathered information on export and more women are approaching us for export ideas."

"We may, however, not retain many women in agri-business as many are channeling towards manufacturing."

"We need to enhance our integration in the developments and promotion of destination East Africa as one."

"The tourism sector in Uganda is growing."

"There is a lot of opportunity for growth in the sector."

"Uganda has a lot to offer in terms of different attractions and services that could bring the global community to visit here."

"We have a lot of natural endowment in the wildlife, the dramatic landscapes, the unique features like the equator, the source of the Nile."

"We have very good weather averaging 23C throughout the year which is perfect weather any time of the year. Even when it rains, in an hour’s time, it will be bright and shiny and all very nice."

"There is quite a lot to experience here about the history of Uganda."

"We have the architecture, the food, the people."

"Ugandans are a very warm people and very hospitable."

"We have a very diverse culture with 65 different tribes. *Every part of Uganda that you go through, you will experience different cultures, the way of life of the people from the food to their dressing to their dancing and singing."

"Uganda has positioned itself as a cultural destination, as a wildlife safari destination, and as a historical destination."

"Uganda is the diversity that we have as a destination and that provides a huge opportunity for development and growth in the tourism sector."

"The tourism sector in Uganda is one sector that is well positioned to transform the economy of Uganda from a developing country to a developed country."

"Some of the challenges that we have had historically are political issues."

"We are grateful that for over 30 years now we have had political stability."

"It is safe to be in Uganda at any time of the day."

"We have the challenge of investment into the tourism sector, specifically."

"There is work that we are doing now to provide the incentive to bring in as many investors into the tourism sector in Uganda as possible."

"We have some infrastructure in place in terms of hotels."

"We require more if we are going to attract more numbers into the country while meeting the needs of the different market segments."

"We still need more investment to make the tourism sector in Uganda perform to its best."

"The other challenge is to get Ugandans themselves to appreciate what we have to be able to share this with the world."

"Ugandans need to appreciate the resources available, the opportunity of investing in tourism in Uganda."

"Being part of what tourism is in Uganda, they need to experience the heritage that they have as citizens of this country."

"This is another responsibility that we are taking on right now as a challenge that we need to overcome."

"We need to get all Ugandans to appreciate and understand tourism as a sector and be part of it."

"We always say in Uganda that tourism is for everyone, so we need to bring that to reality."

"We are in our second wave but we also have the experience that we learned from the first wave of handling COVID in Uganda in 2020."

"We went into our first lockdown in March 2020 and that lasted for about two and a half months."

"The airport was closed and everything was shut down."

"We only opened the borders in October 2020."

"We came to a standstill for those several months of the year."

"By the end of the year, business started picking up and we got into the second wave in May this year."

"That has hit us very hard."

"The difference is that we are not completely shut down. *The borders are open, international tourists are allowed to come to Uganda under some strict operational procedures."

"Everyone coming in has to have their PCR test report to present."

"They need to be retested at the airport before they get to move out of the airport environment in Entebbe."

"Some of the flights have been canceled which is affecting the numbers that are coming in."

"I prefer to look at the positive side of it, the fact that we are managing these waves differently from the first one based on the lessons that we learned."

"We have organized ourselves to have the bubble tours."

"The tourists are coming in and there is a restriction on what vehicles they get in, the tour guides who have to go with them, the drivers must have their 48 hours PCR test before they go with any visitors."

"The hotels have strict standard operating procedures that they are following."

"One waiter has to deal with one client or one group of clients for the whole time in the hotel and they have to use the same tables so that there is not too much mixing of people to provide for more safety for everyone."

"It is hard and it is challenging, but the fact that we can have a few people come in is the main thing showing that we can still allow international tourists into this country."

"There are a lot of investment opportunities in tourism in Uganda. One of them, is the accommodation facilities."

"We require a lot more luxury accommodation facilities in the different parts of the country."

"We can't make a Mercedes in Uganda but we can make something fit for our local market."

"The opportunity is there, what lacks is the willingness to do it. There is a lot more discipline and constraint needed in manufacturing but in the long term, it is something that has rewards."

"Knowledge is key in the proper regulation of the electricity subsector. I possess a mix of practical experience and technical knowledge to understand what goes into the proper operation and maintenance of the electricity subsector, coupled with leadership exposure and training to balance empathy and execution."

"My most memorable moment as a woman in this sector is marrying and raising six children without it impeding my professional and career growth. A proper balance between work and family."

"When mothers are well off the entire society is well off."