In a significant boost to female economic empowerment, 99 women entrepreneurs from Kampala, Lira, and Fort Portal have successfully graduated from the 7th cohort of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This remarkable achievement, supported by the US Embassy in partnership with SHONA Group, underscores our collective commitment to promoting women\u2019s empowerment in the fields of education, agribusiness, healthcare, and tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The AWE Program, an initiative of the Department of State\u2019s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(ECA) and facilitated by the U.S. Embassy, is conducted in collaboration with Arizona State University\u2019s Thunderbird School of Global Management and the global copper mining company Freeport-McMoRan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It aims to equip women entrepreneurs with the necessary resources, knowledge, and networks to initiate and expand their businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The program participants learned from U.S. business development models and are now eligible for grant funding opportunities from the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and business loans ranging from UGX 3.5 million to UGX 35 million through SHONA Capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The graduates also join the prestigious network of U.S. government exchange program alumni, expanding their access to global opportunities and networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to the women graduates, Ellen Masi, the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Counsellor, said: \u201cI am inspired by the Uganda women entrepreneurs who are also AWE alumni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the Embassy, we encourage the alumni to organize themselves and create opportunities so that we can support them beyond the training and the Dream Builder program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joachim Ewechu, SHONA Group co-founder and CEO, reflected on the program\u2019s success, stating: \u201cBy investing in their growth, we are contributing to the economic development of Uganda while impacting livelihoods in our communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs remains steadfast, and we look forward to future collaborations with the U.S. Embassy in Uganda.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a significant boost to female economic empowerment, 99 women entrepreneurs from Kampala, Lira, and Fort Portal have successfully graduated from the 7th cohort of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Program. This remarkable achievement, supported by the US Embassy in partnership with SHONA Group, underscores our collective commitment to promoting women\u2019s empowerment in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27983,"featured_media":38354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[8731,109,119],"class_list":["post-38353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-academy-for-women-entrepreneurs-program","tag-news","tag-uganda-news"],"yoast_head":"\n