dfcu Bank, MTN Uganda Launch the 2nd Advaned Women Entrepreneurs Programme to Scale Women-Led Businesses

dfcu Bank and MTN Uganda have officially launched the second phase of the Advancing Women Entrepreneurs programme, dubbed AWE 2.0, in a renewed effort to transform women-owned enterprises into scalable, investment-ready, and corporate competitive businesses across Uganda.

The enhanced programme builds on the success of the inaugural AWE cohort launched in March 2024 and seeks to address one of the most persistent barriers facing women entrepreneurs — transitioning from informal business operations into structured enterprises capable of participating in formal procurement systems and high-value corporate supply chains.

Operating under the theme “She Means Business,” AWE 2.0 introduces a more robust incubator and accelerator model focused on enterprise sustainability, financial management, ESG integration, digital transformation, investor readiness, mentorship, customer management, and market expansion.

Speaking during the launch, Margaret Karume reaffirmed dfcu Bank’s commitment to positioning women entrepreneurship at the centre of Uganda’s economic transformation agenda.

“At dfcu Bank, we strongly believe that when women grow their businesses, economies grow. More importantly, societies become more resilient, households become more stable, and opportunities multiply for future generations,” Karume said.

She noted that while many women entrepreneurs possess ambition, resilience, and innovative ideas, they often face significant limitations in accessing markets, financing, business networks, mentorship, and structured business knowledge necessary for long-term growth.

“What many women entrepreneurs often lack is not ambition, but access to markets, structured business knowledge, networks, financing, and confidence-building ecosystems that enable businesses to scale sustainably,” she added.

Drawing from over three decades of banking experience across East Africa, Karume observed that women entrepreneurs continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience across sectors including agribusiness, manufacturing, logistics, technology, retail, and professional services.

The launch of AWE 2.0 also marks a major milestone within dfcu Bank’s broader Women in Business programme, which has consistently focused on equipping women entrepreneurs with practical business capabilities beyond financing alone.

To strengthen enterprise growth and procurement readiness, dfcu Bank committed UGX 30 billion toward the programme’s three-year implementation period. Already, the bank has disbursed UGX 2 billion in contract financing to 19 women-led businesses, enabling them to execute contracts secured within MTN Uganda’s supply chain as well as among other ecosystem partners.

The first phase of the programme demonstrated the power of collaborative enterprise support, with entrepreneurs benefiting from mentorship and structured training facilitated by partners including American Tower Corporation, UN Women, Private Sector Foundation Uganda, Innovation Village, dfcu Foundation, MTN Uganda, and dfcu Bank.

According to programme statistics shared during the launch, AWE has already recorded measurable impact across Uganda’s women entrepreneurship ecosystem, including:

19 contract financing loans worth UGX 2 billion disbursed

Over 118 female entrepreneurs trained

UGX 5 billion in deposits mobilised

76 enterprises enrolled into the Accelerator Programme

Letters of credit worth over USD 500,000 facilitated for participating businesses

Karume said the achievements validate the growing need for integrated enterprise development programmes that intentionally support women-owned businesses beyond traditional lending.

She emphasized that sustainable enterprise growth increasingly depends on operational structure, governance systems, compliance readiness, financial discipline, procurement capabilities, and adoption of digital tools.

Meanwhile, Sylvia Mulinge highlighted the programme’s growing impact on supplier inclusion within MTN Uganda’s procurement ecosystem.

“Since inception, the programme has contributed to significant supplier inclusion growth within MTN Uganda’s ecosystem, with women-owned business participation increasing from 0.3% to 15%. Additionally, more than 15 women-owned enterprises have collectively secured contracts worth over UGX 62 billion through the initiative,” Mulinge revealed.

The programme also aligns with MTN Uganda’s broader commitment to advancing digital and financial inclusion while strengthening local supplier participation in Uganda’s evolving economy.

Over the course of 2026, AWE 2.0 will roll out a series of accelerator trainings, mentorship engagements, supplier development activities, investor pitch sessions, and demo days aimed at positioning women-led enterprises for long-term competitiveness and sustainability.