Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Joins NUWEBIZ GROW Project Dialogue to unlock Karamoja Women Entrepreneurs Potential. Moroto, Karamoja — 10 September 2026

MOROTO, UGANDA

In a strategic bid to unlock the economic potential of women entrepreneurs in the Karamoja subregion, the State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Hon. Davinia Esther Anyakun, joined regional business leaders and key stakeholders for a high-level dialogue in Moroto on September 10, 2026.

Organized and facilitated by the NUWEBIZ Foundation under Component 1A of the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project, the event convened executive leaders from Women Entrepreneur Platforms (WEPs) and local business owners representing all nine districts of Karamoja: Abim, Amudat, Kaabong, Karenga, Kotido, Moroto, Nabilatuk, Nakapiripirit, and Napak.

Held alongside the 11th Edition of the Karamoja Cultural Festival, the gathering served as a catalyst for connecting women-led enterprises to formal markets, financial opportunities, and regional supply chains.

CAPITALIZING ON CULTURAL HERITAGE AND REGIONAL TRADE:

Central to the discussion was the commercialization of Karamoja’s rich cultural and creative industries. With thousands of local women actively engaged in traditional beadwork, artisanal crafts, and tourism-adjacent services, the NUWEBIZ Foundation urged WEP leaders to transition from isolated district-level activities toward subregional collaboration and inter-district trade.

Participants explored practical avenues to integrate women-owned enterprises into broader private-sector supply chains, directly connecting local artisans with commercial buyers, hospitality operators, and regional tourism networks.

Hon. Anyakun urged women entrepreneurs across the region to actively register with WEPs and leverage the capacity-building, networking, and business support tools offered through the government-backed GROW Project.

BRIDGING THE FINANCIAL ACCESS GAP:

Addressing the persistent challenge of capital acquisition,  NUWEBIZ engaged and brought on board Pearl Bank one of the designated GROW financial institution partners to conduct a targeted sensitization session. Representatives from the bank outlined available loan products, eligibility criteria, and application pathways designed for female entrepreneurs.

While the session provided critical clarity, it also highlighted structural barriers unique to the Karamoja context:

• Land Ownership and Collateral Restrictions: Business owners emphasized that customary land tenure systems heavily restrict women’s ability to hold formal land titles, rendering traditional collateral requirements a major hurdle to institutional credit.
• Climate and Economic Vulnerability: Participants pointed to extreme weather patterns, prolonged heatwaves, and agricultural disruptions as primary threats to business continuity, calling for flexible financing mechanisms that account for climate resilience.

Attending entrepreneurs called on financial partners and policymakers to adapt lending criteria to reflect the social, environmental, and cultural realities of the Karamoja subregion.

BUILDING UNIFIED PLATFORMS ACROSS GREATER NORTHERN UGANDA:

As an official implementing partner for Component 1A of the GROW Project the NUWEBIZ Foundation is tasked with mobilizing, structuring, and strengthening WEPs across 41 districts in Greater Northern Uganda,by unifying fragmented women’s associations into cohesive platforms, the initiative provides a direct pipeline to:

• Tailored financial products and micro-credit schemes
• Market linkages and cross-border trade opportunities
• Targeted mentorship, technical training, and business development services

“Karamoja’s women entrepreneurs possess the skills, cultural knowledge, and products to drive the subregion’s economic transformation. Our mandate is to ensure those assets are backed by the right capital, markets, and strategic partnerships.”

NUWEBIZ Foundation Statement:

As the GROW Project expands its footprint, collaboration among Government Ministries, development partners, and financial institutions will remain essential to converting Karamoja’s creative and commercial potential into sustainable, long-term enterprise growth.