From 13th to 16th May 2025, the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) facilitated a powerful learning experience for Emyooga SACCO beneficiaries from the Acholi, Lango, and Teso sub-regions through a series of exchange visits to successful SACCOs in western Uganda. These visits aimed to foster peer learning, knowledge transfer, and innovation among community financial institutions under the Presidential Initiative on Wealth and Job Creation, Emyooga.
During a pre-visit briefing, the head of Emyooga Secretariat, Joseph Tukamushaba encouraged the visiting delegates to embrace the lessons and experiences of their hosts in western Uganda. He emphasised the value of continuous learning, noting that the exchange programme would expose the visitors to tested SACCO management models, governance systems, and sustainability strategies.
“Learning is a lifetime journey and learning never stops,” Tukamushaba said. “We have held trainings in governance, financial management, loan administration, and resource mobilisation to build your capacity so that you can establish strong financial institutions within the communities” he added.
The exchange visits featured stops at prominent SACCOs such as Kyamuhunga Peoples’ SACCO in Bushenyi and Muhame Financial Services Cooperative Ltd in Sheema District. These SACCOs represent mainstream success stories, having demonstrated resilience and innovation in Uganda’s microfinance sector.
At Muhame SACCO, the visiting Emyooga beneficiaries were inspired by the SACCO’s two-decade-long partnership with MSC. Mable Ahimbisibwe, Muhame’s Internal Auditor, highlighted the foundational role of record keeping in SACCO sustainability. “Whether digital or analog, records must be clear, accurate, and regularly updated,” she said.
“Even for SACCOs without digital infrastructure, the importance of bookkeeping using ledger books and passbooks is underscored as a key practice for financial transparency and informed decision-making,” Mable added.
A highlight of the visits came from the testimony of Immaculate Tumuhibise, Chairperson of Mbarara City South Women Entrepreneurs Emyooga SACCO. Formed in 2019 with the encouragement of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the SACCO now comprises of 203 associations with more than 10,000 members.
Tumuhibise shared how Emyooga funding through MSC has transformed the lives of the women in her SACCO. Initially received UGX 30 million in seed capital and later received two installments of UGX 20 million each installment as additional seed capital, the SACCO has become a hub for innovative, home-based income-generating activities.
“Emyooga has brought mindset change,” she said. “We have learnt to save, to do value addition, and to become self-reliant. Today, we are not just helping our families, we are helping our communities,” she said.
Among their notable achievements, Mbarara City South Women Entrepreneurs Emyooga SACCO has ventured into grape wine production. What was once an unprofitable fruit crop is now a high-value product sold at UGX 20,000 per 750ml bottle, thanks to training on value addition.
They also manufacture blackboard chalk and produce charcoal briquettes from community waste materials like charcoal dust and clay. A weekly briquette production cycle costing UGX 390,000 yields returns of up to UGX 1.5 million, a testament to the viability of community-driven innovation.
“We operate from our homes, which saves on rent, and we have agreed with our husbands on how to co-exist with the business,” Tumuhibise explained. “These projects enable us to care for our families while also earning a living. We are now skilled, financially empowered, and contributing meaningfully to the economy,” she added.
Despite the progress, challenges persist. The SACCO’s current briquette production scale cannot meet the growing demand. Tumuhibise highlighted the need for a dedicated production site and more advanced machinery to boost capacity and efficiency.
“We dream of a fully equipped factory with conveyor belt technology to meet our growing market,” she said. “Our challenge is no longer access to market, it’s underproduction,” Tumuhibise added.
Maxwell Odong, a representative of the Lira Carpenters Emyooga SACCO, one of the visiting groups, thanked the Microfinance Support Centre for organising the exchange visits and committed to applying the insights gained during the tour.
The exchange visits not only build solidarity among SACCOs across Uganda but also reinforce the importance of community leadership, shared learning, and tailored support for local enterprises.
As Joseph Tukamushaba reiterated, the Emyooga programme is not just about financial inclusion, it is about transforming communities by equipping people with the tools and knowledge to build sustainable futures.
With such inspiring stories and practical lessons, Uganda’s journey towards inclusive economic empowerment continues to gain momentum, one SACCO at a time.