The Government Citizen Interaction Centre is charged with responsibilities of engaging citizens through interactions and these interactions are always supposed to be meaningful since they are aimed at helping the local person understand or know what government is doing.
In the recent fact finding and assessment exercise by a team from The Government Citizen Interaction Centre (GCIC), accompanied by various technical and political heads of the different districts, visited a number of districts in Busoga Sub region.
In Busoga, the team paid visits to a number of projects that are being implemented by government in the region and also interacted not only with the leaders at their district headquarters but engaged the citizens and shared a lot about a number of issues in line with empowerment and the government development agenda.
Based on the feedback and assessment, the people in Busoga have benefited from a number of government initiatives which include Youth Livelihood, Uganda Women Empowerment Program, Wealth Creation, Emyooga and now the Parish Development Model.
The Emyooga program is a government initiative in Uganda aimed at empowering small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The program was launched in 2019 by President Yoweri Museveni as part of NRM government’s efforts to promote economic growth and reduce poverty among the population.
The Emyooga program is targeted at 18 different categories of SMEs, including boda-boda riders, women entrepreneurs, youth groups, musicians, and fishermen, among others. Each group is eligible for a specific amount of funding, ranging from UGX 30 million to UGX 560 million depending on the size and needs of the group.
The program is being implemented by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in partnership with the Microfinance Support Centre, which is responsible for disbursing the funds to the beneficiaries. The funds are provided as interest-free loans, with a repayment period of up to 3 years.
The program was launched in 2020 and has been rolled out in various regions across the country. In this article, we focus on the impact of the Emyooga program in the Busoga sub-region.
The Busoga sub-region is located in eastern Uganda and is composed of 11 districts. The region is known for its rich cultural heritage and agricultural practices. However, like many other parts of the country, Busoga has been affected by poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment.
In Busoga, the Emyooga program has been rolled out in all 11 districts, targeting various sectors including agriculture, fisheries and trade. The program has been well received by the communities, with many beneficiaries expressing their gratitude and excitement about the opportunities it presents.
One of the beneficiaries of the program is Buzaaya County Tailors Cooperative Sacco which started 5 years ago before Emyooga fund and in 2022, the group received UGX 8,000,000 from Emyooga and currently has 70 members and 30 trainees with 6 tailoring machines.
This Sacco gives out credit loans to members at a low interest rate, members have been able to pay school fees for their children and on addition to that, the Sacco has capacity today to buy better fabrics.
The other beneficiary of the Emyooga program isIganga Municipality Council Constituency Tailoring Emyooga Sacco. This group started way back before the launch of Emyooga but midway, Emyooga was launched and the Sacco became one of the first beneficiaries. It started with 5 tailoring machines and received 30 tailoring machines, a photocopying machine and a computer from Emyooga program.
Currently the SACCO has 10 members and 35 youth employers offering Services that include tailoring, adult education, computer training, Tie and Dye, Shoe making, liquid soap, door mats, poultry farming, baskets, palm hats and palm bags.
Since it started operating, over 52 youths have graduated from the Sacco and as of January 2023, there were 30 tailoring students, 2 computer students, 3 poultry keeping students, 36 handcraft students, 15 adult education students.
The SACCO Chairperson disclosed that they got a Seed Capital of Shs.50, 000,000, have saved Shs.73,820,000,loaned out Shs.119,316,000, loan recovered Shs.73,424,870 with a share capital of Shs.6,065,066.
Overall, the Emyooga program has had a positive impact in Busoga, empowering communities to start and run successful businesses. The program has not only created employment opportunities but also has also improved the livelihoods of the beneficiaries and their families.
This program has led to increased economic growth in the sub-region, helped in poverty by providing the targeted people with capital to start or expand their businesses, increased financial inclusion by providing access to financial services to people who are often excluded from the formal financial sector, Empowered women and youth through providing them with access to capital to start or expand their businesses and it has also greatly improved access to markets through providing training and support to beneficiaries to improve their business skills.
In conclusion, the Emyooga program has provided a much-needed boost to the Busoga sub-region, promoting economic growth and empowering communities.
By Anshemeza Joellah
Communications Officer, GCIC – State House.
