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By Israel Brown
Moroto, Uganda | 3 November 2026
Strong women’s economic empowerment requires more than access to opportunities; it requires organised leadership, functional structures and the capacity of women to work collectively towards shared economic aspirations.
Recognising this, NUWEBIZ Foundation, under the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project Component 1A, convened a sub-regional (Karomoja) leadership and organisational capacity-building engagement on 3 November 2026 at Kalid Hall, Office of the Prime Minister, Moroto. The engagement brought together all executive members of the Women Entrepreneurs Platforms (WEPs) from the nine districts of the Karamoja sub-region, with each district platform comprising approximately six to seven executive members. The training aimed to strengthen leadership capacity, clarify executive responsibilities and equip WEP leaders with practical knowledge and skills to manage, strengthen and sustain their respective platforms.
Strengthening Leadership and Organisational Capacity
Facilitated by Madam Lucy, the training adopted an interactive and practical approach, using group discussions, leadership scenarios, real-life illustrations and peer learning. Key areas covered included leadership confidence, managing group dynamics, organisational management, collective responsibility, WEP sustainability, local government engagement, lobbying and advocacy, and inclusive leadership.
Participants explored the qualities of effective leadership through practical exercises, including identifying exemplary leaders within their communities and examining the values that make them effective. The discussions reinforced integrity, accountability, confidence, teamwork and responsibility as essential qualities for WEP executive members.
NUWEBIZ Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Christine Anek, guided participants through the roles and responsibilities of the WEP executive positions, including the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity Representative and representatives for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), Indigenous communities and other minority groups. She emphasised that effective platform management requires collective responsibility, clear role allocation and coordinated leadership rather than placing the entire responsibility on the Chairperson.
To reinforce the training and provide continued guidance, NUWEBIZ distributed its LEADERSHIP AND OPERATIONAL MANUAL to all participating WEP executive leaders from the nine districts. The Moroto District GROW Focal Person also received a copy and other districts officials. The manual serves as a practical reference guide on leadership responsibilities, organisational procedures, decision-making, accountability and handling different leadership situations, enabling executive members to apply the knowledge acquired in their day-to-day management of the platforms.
Recognising the importance of accessible communication, NUWEBIZ also engaged a local interpreter to translate the live training session from English into the local Karimojong language. This helped bridge communication barriers, allowing participants to follow the sessions, contribute their experiences and engage meaningfully in the discussions.
Taking GROW Information to Grassroots Women Entrepreneurs
A central feature of the engagement was NUWEBIZ’s train-the-trainer approach, which equips WEP executive leaders to extend the knowledge and information acquired to women entrepreneurs within their respective districts.
The leaders are expected to conduct grassroots sensitisation, disseminate verified information about GROW opportunities and mobilise women entrepreneurs to join their respective district WEPs. Through this approach, the training extends beyond the participating executives to reach women in communities, sub-counties and villages.
NUWEBIZ also explained its Component 1A mandate, covering grassroots mobilisation and sensitisation, profiling women entrepreneurs, WEP formation and strengthening, leadership and organisational capacity building, information dissemination and linkages with relevant stakeholders and business development service providers.
Connecting Women Leaders to GROW Services and Opportunities
The Moroto District GROW Focal Person, Madam Emma, provided a detailed presentation on the project’s objectives, interventions and opportunities available to women entrepreneurs. She challenged participants to reflect on their engagement with GROW, noting during the discussion that over 90% had benefited in one way or another. The conversation reinforced that project benefits extend beyond financial services to include business development training, information and other relevant opportunities.
NUWEBIZ also introduced relevant implementing partners and service providers, including UWONET for social norms interventions, FEM Consultants for essential business skills, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in relation to the project’s grant component, and Pearl Bank for financial services.
As part of facilitating institutional linkages, NUWEBIZ invited Madam Faith, Pearl Bank’s Moroto Branch Manager, to introduce the bank’s financial services and share contact information to enable direct engagement between women entrepreneurs and the financial institution.
Strengthening Local Government Engagement and WEP Sustainability
The training emphasised the importance of proactive relationships between WEP leaders and their respective local governments. Participants were encouraged to engage regularly with District GROW Focal Persons, Community Development Officers (CDOs) and other relevant officials rather than waiting for government structures to approach them.
WEP Leaders were encouraged to share monthly meeting minutes, work plans and activity updates with district officials to strengthen coordination, accountability and institutional visibility. The possibility of registering their platforms as Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) was also discussed as an approach to strengthening their organisational identity and sustainability.
Building Sustainable Women’s Leadership Across Karamoja
The Moroto engagement marked an important step in NUWEBIZ Foundation’s efforts to move WEPs beyond establishment towards functionality, grassroots reach and sustainability by bringing together all nine district executive teams, providing practical leadership training, distributing the LEADERSHIP AND OPERATIONAL MANUAL and addressing language barriers, NUWEBIZ strengthened the foundation for more effective and inclusive WEP leadership across Karamoja. Through the train-the-trainer approach, the participating leaders are expected to translate their learning into grassroots action by sensitising women entrepreneurs, disseminating GROW information, mobilising membership and strengthening collective representation within their districts.
The message from the engagement was clear: Establishing WEPs is only the beginning; their lasting value depends on accountable leadership, active participation, inclusive representation and the ability to reach and organise women entrepreneurs at the grassroots.
