According to the US Embassy and SHONA, the fifth cohort of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Program has successfully graduated 85 female entrepreneurs from Kampala, Lira, and Arua who have built businesses in the fields of agriculture, education, health, technology, and tourism.
The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) was established by the U.S. Embassy Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) in collaboration with Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and the world’s largest copper mining company Freeport-McMoRan to give women entrepreneurs the knowledge, networks, and access they need to start and grow their businesses. a program promoting the growth of female entrepreneurs globally.
Ellen Masi from the U.S. “The Department of State continues to support the AWE program because the U.S. government views the advancement of inclusive economic growth and opportunities for all Ugandans, particularly women entrepreneurs, to be a key goal,” the embassy’s public diplomacy counsellor stated.
Ellen Masi urged the graduates to keep in mind their ability to spur economic growth, create jobs, and serve as an example for others. The scope of AWE include Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and other regions where advancing women’s economic empowerment is a top priority for US policy.
The White House-led Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP), which aims to empower women globally to realize their economic potential and foster more stability, security, and prosperity for all, is supported by AWE.
AWE was created to provide active women with a flexible education opportunity to learn how to build and expand their enterprises.
It is centered on the online training course on women’s entrepreneurship called DreamBuilder, which was created through a collaboration between the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University and the large copper mining business Freeport-McMoRan.
SHONA and the US worked together. The fifth cohort of the program, which began in November 2022, will be implemented by the Embassy.
The chosen business owners from the districts of Kampala, Lira, and Arua learnt throughout the program from both the online DreamBuilder program and the knowledgeable facilitators who led the in-person sessions created to support the DreamBuilder program.
The training was conducted utilizing engaging and innovative teaching techniques, and the program’s effect on the participants’ skill level was continuously evaluated.
Following the third cohort of the AWE program, SHONA is now partnering with the US Embassy to implement the AWE program for the second time.
This curriculum is facilitated by specialists such as:
• Charity Kamusiime — A seasoned marketing manager with a track record in the financial services, advertising, and telecommunications sectors. Strong brand communication and product marketing skills, as well as expertise in negotiation, marketing management and strategy (with a special passion for digital marketing strategy & executions), business planning, sales, and team building.
• Augustine Mwanje, a Certified Entrepreneur Trainer and Consultant with the international networks of Business Development Centers affiliated with Regent University (USA). He has served as a consultant and coach to more than 500 business owners across 35 sectors, assisting them in expanding and succeeding.
• Hadijah Nakkanja, founder of the Community Women’s Enterprise Network (CWEN) in Uganda, a hub for business resources for female entrepreneurs in the agro-processing industry. Their mission is to strengthen the capacity of women food entrepreneurs through a co-shared processing and production facility, packaging, branding, marketing, merchandising, and promotion in order to assist high-potential female entrepreneurs in obtaining shelf space in prestigious local and regional stores.
Entrepreneurs who have graduated include:
• Brendah Nantongo is developing Kaaro Health, a last-mile digital health infrastructure, to provide rural African communities with equal access to high-quality healthcare.
• Annabella Nakato, owner of Afrilux Holdings, offers non-toxic cosmetics for at-home and in-salon hair care as well as solution-focused skin and body care products under the name Afrilux Beauty.
• Cindy Okullo is the owner of Empower Motherhood Uganda, which trains women and young people in welding, craftwork, and tailoring in addition to producing washable pads.
• Gloria Amviko – Gloria Amviko founded Glowi Pure Honey, which processes and packages honey as well as other hive products including beeswax and propolis tincture. Within the West Nile region, Glowi collaborates with more than 100 farmers.
Since the AWE program’s beginning in Uganda, it has been very successful in fostering women’s entrepreneurship there, assisting participants in expanding their enterprises, and many of them have gone on to get funding and generate jobs.
Joachim Ewechu, co-founder and CEO of SHONA Group, said during the graduation ceremony,
“The AWE program is a very effective project that encourages promising women entrepreneurs in Uganda to build towards long-term success.
For economic growth and development in Uganda and the rest of the continent, we think it is essential to invest in women business owners.
In our capacity as SHONA, we take great pride and satisfaction in assisting female entrepreneurs in Uganda and other nations, and we look forward to executing more such initiatives in the future in collaboration with the US Embassy in Uganda.
In addition to learning new knowledge and skills from the program, graduates also gained knowledge from their peers who were exposed to US business development models.
Graduates will be eligible to apply for funding from the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and will have access to investments between UGX 3.5 million and UGX 35 million from SHONA Capital, a debt fund managed by SHONA.
Along with joining other AWE Alumni and fellows from various programs at the US Embassy, the graduates also formally become alumni of US government exchange programs.
