Dr. Hillary Emmanuel Kisanja, the Presidential Adviser on Agribusiness and Special Duties, has criticized the bureaucratic hurdles and difficulties that women face when trying to access government financial programs. He noted that these challenges make it nearly impossible for ordinary women to secure funds that could boost their businesses.
Dr. Kisanja made these remarks while closing the first phase of the Women’s Leadership for Financial Inclusion and Economic Recovery (WLIFI) Project during a women’s conference organized by the New Faces New Voices Foundation at Hotel Africana.
The WLIFI project ran from 2021 to 2024 and aimed to support women-owned businesses in recovering from the economic effects of COVID-19. Over its four-year span, the initiative recorded significant successes and provided policy recommendations to enhance support for women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
As the chief guest at the conference, Dr. Kisanja emphasized President Yoweri Museveni’s efforts to empower women, which he said are evident in the number of women holding high-ranking positions in Uganda.
“President Museveni has introduced deliberate interventions to support women’s empowerment. As you are aware, the Speaker of Parliament is a woman, the Executive Director of KCCA is a woman, the Vice President is a woman, and many other top positions in government are occupied by women,” he noted.
Dr. Kisanja highlighted several government programs designed to enhance financial inclusion, especially for women.
“The President has introduced different funding programs to support women’s economic empowerment. These include the Women’s Fund, the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, microfinance funds, and specific funds for women and youth in the Uganda Development Bank (UDB). There are so many funding opportunities,” he explained.
Despite these financial interventions, Dr. Kisanja decried the bureaucratic processes that make it difficult for women to access the funds, hindering financial inclusion and stifling business growth.
“From our discussions today, it is clear that the bureaucracy and complexities involved in accessing these funds make it very difficult for an ordinary woman to secure financial support,” he said.
He pointed out that government funds placed in commercial banks often compete with the banks’ own funds, creating a conflict of interest.
“When government allocates funds to commercial banks, competition arises between the banks’ own funds and the government’s funds. Bank employees are more likely to promote the interests of their shareholders, which compromises access to government funds,” Dr. Kisanja explained.
He also criticized the technical requirements in the loan application process, which he said discourage many women entrepreneurs from seeking financial support.
“The documentation process is often too technical. In some cases, bank employees do not understand the nature of businesses run by women. When they assess applicants, they fail to consider the different techniques and dynamics of their businesses. This either demoralizes the applicants or causes unnecessary delays, leading them to abandon the process,” he added.
Dr. Kisanja warned that due to these bureaucratic obstacles, many women resort to borrowing from money lenders, who often exploit them with exorbitant interest rates.
“Many women have fallen victim to loan sharks and money lenders, who end up seizing their properties, including houses, land titles, and household items like fridges. Women are vulnerable and need low-cost financing, but they have limited access to it,” he lamented.
He urged the government to streamline access to financial programs by learning from successful initiatives like WLIFI and eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“Women are leaders in socio-economic transformation. We need to create a more enabling environment for them in agribusiness, value addition, SMEs, crafts, and skilling,” he emphasized.
Dr. Kisanja commended the Graça Machel Foundation for recruiting women into production and supporting them in adding value to their products.
“I am impressed by the work of the Graça Machel Foundation and its team in identifying and supporting women who make cosmetics, food products, shoes, bags, and beverages. These are local businesses adding value to Ugandan products. We will continue to support and guide them to align with the President’s agenda of socio-economic transformation,” he stated.
Teopista Ntale, the Country Director of New Faces New Voices Foundation, highlighted individualism as a major challenge preventing women from thriving in business.
“The biggest challenge in Uganda is the lack of collective effort in economic activities. Many people prefer to work individually. Our organization is creating groups of 30 women to help them identify key economic activities in their areas. Working as a team makes it easier to negotiate and meet product demand. Without this, rural women will remain poor unless there is a mindset shift and a change in approach,” she explained.
She also criticized the lengthy appraisal procedures required to access bank loans, which she said force women to turn to money lenders.
“It’s not just bureaucracy; it’s also the appraisal procedures. If I need money to invest in a business for a specific season such as school fees payment periods but the bank gives me the money six months later, I will have already missed my business opportunity. The timing is crucial,” she noted.
Despite these challenges, Ntale acknowledged that the WLIFI project had achieved notable successes.
“One of our biggest achievements is that women now have the capacity and confidence to stand up against unfair interest rates and unfavorable bank structures. This is a major step toward financial inclusion,” she concluded.
The conference ended with a call for government institutions to reduce bureaucracy and simplify loan application processes to ensure that women entrepreneurs can access financial support more easily.
