1. Uganda Women Entrepreneurs
Association Limited
UWEAL
Envisage a Wealthy Woman Responsibly Contributing to National Economic Development

2. Background
Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Ltd (UWEAL), is a Company
Limited by Guarantee. It was incorporated in October, 1987 with the aim of
promoting women entrepreneurs in Uganda. It is non-partisan and non-profit
making. UWEAL is firmly placed in the private sector to assist and provide
necessary support and guidance to women entrepreneurs and to advocate for
favorable policies through which women entrepreneurs can flourish. Members
of the organization include; individual women, women groups and corporate
members in different sectors like education, agriculture, manufacturing, art and
crafts, textiles and trade. UWEAL offers services such as capacity building,
networking and advocacy.
Vision
Envisage a wealthy woman responsibly contributing to national economic
development
Mission
Empower women entrepreneurs to create wealth through capacity building,
networking and advocacy.
Goals
• To promote networking among women entrepreneurs.
• To build the Secretariat’s capacity to provide member services.
• To equip rural women to harness available business opportunities.
• To develop relevant programs for UWEAL members.
• To develop institutional sustainability initiatives.
Objectives
• To train, mentor and counsel women to start, sustain and grow their businesses.
• To support product development, provide Business Development
Services (BDS) and linkages to markets.
• To build women entrepreneurs’ capacity to access export markets.
• To support business women networking exchanges and mentorship
forums.
• To support the Women Investment Club (WIC) and promote a savings and
investment culture while encouraging the growth and sustainability of women
entrepreneurs’ businesses.
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3. Services
Capacity building
Training
This service is provided to
members who have business
challenges. Under this program,
needs assessment studies are
performed to ensure that the
needs of UWEAL members are
understood and considered
before training interventions are
designed. We have a number of
training programs throughout
the year.
Mentoring
This service is provided to members
who wish to start a business or those
in business but facing challenges of
management and sustainability.
Mentoring is geared towards motivating
and guiding women entrepreneurs to persist
in growing their businesses. Additionally, it
builds confidence among women and girls
as they plan to undertake businesses or
implement their business plans. UWEAL
also provides mentoring services in
partnership with other organizations.
Business Counseling
Some members come seeking guidance on how to start, sustain or grow a business.
We provide counseling sessions by appointment and invite business experts to
provide counselling services.
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4. Networking
At UWEAL, we believe providing
opportunities for women to meet and
share experiences on how to start,
sustain and grow a business makes
a difference in an enterpreneur’s mind.
We also encourage women to create
markets for each other through personal
contacts established when we bring
them together.
Our members are therefore exposed to
potential markets nationally, regionally and
internationally through our membership
to organisations such as EABC, PSFU
and the newly established East African
Women Entrepreneurs Exchange Network (EWEExN). UWEAL is also the Network
Hub for Africa Businesswomen’s Network (ABWN), a network that brings together
six organisations from six African countries namely; Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana,
Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa.
Advocacy
UWEAL is a voice for women entrepreneurs in Uganda, advocating for a conducive
business environment in which they can thrive. A power house for women entrepreneurs,
UWEAL has over the years built the confidence of major stakeholders like the
Government of Uganda and development partners who view the association a credible
How to join UWEAL
mouthpiece for women entrepreneurs in Uganda.
It takes only three steps:
Membership • Complete a membership form at the UWEAL
UWEAL has a wide membership base that is comprised of women entrepreneurs from
Secretariat.
various districts. These includePay a one-timeBugiri, Bushenyi, Gulu, Jinja, Kabale,
• among others; membership fee.
Kampala, Lira, Luwero, MpigiPay an annual subscription fee.
• and Soroti.
Membership Annual
Membership Category
Fee Subscription
Individual/Ordinary
For women seeking to join on an
20,000 50,000
Membership individual basis and participate in
UWEAL activities.
Categories Women Groups/Companies
For those wishing to register their
20,000 75,000
entities. This allows individuals to
participate in UWEAL activities.
Corporate Bodies
For major entities interested in 20,000 100,000
supporting women entrepreneurs.
4 Chapters
Honorary 250,000
By Invitation 250,000
N/A
Mentors, Speakers and Donors By Invitation N/A

5. Programs
Breakfast Meetings ACCESS! for African
UWEAL hosts strong business present- Businesswomen in
ers speaking on knowledge enriching International Trade
topics at monthly breakfasts. This is
yet another networking opportunity for Funded by the International Trade Centre,
women entrepreneurs where information this is an enterprise support development
is shared on various business topics. program designed to strengthen capacities
Members are updated on upcoming of women entrepreneurs, provide access
business events and networking oppor- to regional and international markets and
tunities are created. promote the use of Information and Com-
munication Technologies in international
trade. It targets African women entrepre-
Women Investment Club neurs with a fair level of management
(WIC–SACCO) competence who are emerging, actual or
potential exporters. The program consists
WIC was registered in July, 2005 as a of four components; Exporter Training,
women savings and credit cooperative Exporter Business Counseling, Access to
society to enhance women’s access to
Trade Information and Access to Markets.
financial services. To emulate this,
similar savings groups have been
started by women in UWEAL district
chapters.
Girl Entrepreneurship
Program (GEP)
GEP creates awareness about business and
entrepreneurship in secondary schools,
tertiary institutions and universities.
Successful women entrepreneurs visit
institutions and share their business
experiences with the students and teachers.
The objective is to inspire them to develop
a spirit of entrepreneurship, become
creative, innovative and be job creators
rather than job seekers.
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6. Annual Events
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is the supreme and policy-making organ of
the association composed of paid up members. It meets once a year and elects the
Board of Directors (BOD) every three years. The BOD is entrusted with ensuring
that strategic plans and institutional policy decisions are implemented and resources
for implementation are mobilized. It also monitors and evaluates progress of imple-
mentation of programs and activities.
East African Women Entrepreneurs Exchange
Network (EAWEExN)
This program was launched in July, 2007 as the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs’
Exchange (UWEE) to provide an opportunity for Uganda’s women entrepreneurs to
exhibit their products and network with one another. The network has since grown to
include seven countries in the region and in 2009 was re-launched as the East African
Women Entrepreneurs Exchange Network to create a regional networking platform.
Annual Business
Achievers’ Awards
At the end of every year, UWEAL
recognizes women who have excelled
in entrepreneurship. The objective of
the Awards is to motivate the winners
to carry on and to inspire all women
to work even harder. The Awards are
open to all women entrepreneurs
irrespective of UWEAL member-
ship. Members are also honored for
their exemplary and selfless service to
UWEAL.
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7. Month of the Woman Entrepreneur (MOWE)
The International Labor Organization through its project on Women Entrepreneurship
Development and Gender Equality (ILO-WEDGE), in collaboration with Women
Entrepreneurs Associations in Uganda formed a partnership designed to widely
promote the role of Women Entrepreneurship Development (WED) in national
development. Through this concept, the Women Entrepreneur Associations in
Uganda dedicated the month of November as the ‘Month of the Woman Entrepreneur
(MOWE)’.
During MOWE, a combination of different events ranging from capacity building,
business exhibitions and advocacy forums are carried out with an aim of creating
an enabling business environment for women entrepreneurs, promoting the role of
Women Entrepreneurship Development in national development and recognizing the
potential and achievements of women entrepreneurs in generating employment and
incomes. All MOWE activities address women entrepreneurs including those with
disabilities and those living with HIV/AIDS.`
MOWE Objectives:
• To widely promote the role of Women Entrepreneurship Development in national
development by recognizing the potential and achievements of women entrepre-
neurs in generating employment and incomes.
• To showcase women entrepreneurs as role models.
• To renew the commitment of all concerned stakeholders towards the promotion of
women entrepreneurship development.
• To disseminate information and exchange good practices in the areas of Women’s
Entrepreneurship Development and raise critical issues affecting women entrepre-
neurs for the attention of policy makers and other relevant stakeholders.
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8. UWEAL
Directions to UWEAL Secretariat
DIRECTIONS / MAP TO UGANDA WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS ASSOCIATION LIMITED
LUMUMBA AVENUE
UWEAL
TO WANDEGEYA
YMCA
FROM WANDEGEYA
6
Plot 38 Lumumba Avenue, Nakasero
P.O. Box 10002, Kampala (U)
Tel: +256 414 343 952, +256 312 271 451
Email: uweal@uweal.co.ug
Website: www.uweal.co.ug