Cooperatives trained on business recovery in post Covid-19 pandemic

KAMPALA – Following the Covid-19 national lock down, many business ventures stagnated while several others collapsed as many of the clientele lost their purchasing power after losing their jobs and other sources of income.

Throughout the two years of total disruptions, it has not been business as usual, for many families and business ventures.

It is against this background that Goldstone Enterprise Consulting and Training, a Business Development and Management Consulting firm crossed the line to initiate avenues to help businesses build back after the lock down.

In partnership with The Uhuru Institute for Social Development (TUI), Goldstone has embarked on a Small and Growing Business Accelerator program that will see small and medium business ventures skilled in multiple business-related disciplines like financial management, strategy development, operational and business sustainability, to support them through the storms occasioned on them due to Covid-19.

The accelerator program slated to run for at least three months is driven on a hybrid methodology of both physical and virtual sessions being anchored on seven different thematic areas including; access to markets, business development and modeling, social mission and impact.

Other areas of coverage are business leadership and governance, implementation, financial planning and funding.

The lead trainer at Goldstone Consulting, Mr. Daniel Bukenya says, after the Covid-19 disruptions, businesses required a new skill set and perspective to enable them survive the times that are stormy.

“Business ventures and individuals need to renew their skill set and knowledge in doing business after the lock down. Someone needs to keep the business running and the solution is upskilling and re-skilling in what they are doing,” he says.

The Accelerators program is targeting at least 13 different businesses including; six cooperatives in various sectors, picked from different parts of the country including the districts of Arua, Nebbi, Masaka, Wakiso, Rukungiri, Kabale, Kiryandongo, and Mbale in the first cohort.

The selection of the trainee businesses was based on several criteria including the business performance in the last five years, profitability, sustainability, governance and share capital growth.

Brian Jjemba, a business coach and trainer remarked that businesses need to be helped to create and access new markets for survival, and targeting the captive markets for a deeper share of client wallets as the economy recovers.

“We need to connect businesses especially cooperatives to new markets, especially with the absence of an agricultural bank.”

He adds that businesses also need to be guided on where to go for right investments, credit and other services.

“Why would a business involved in renewable energy go to a commercial bank for credit yet there are several energy financing ventures around?” he wondered.

Jjemba says, knowledge sharing and networking is the key that would unlock several business opportunities in this period where dependence is critical.

The Uhuru Institute for Social Development, the lead partner in the project conducted a research study on cooperative businesses around the country in 2019, which revealed that over 1,029 cooperatives have challenges with leadership and governance alongside financial management.

Denis Odeba, the Learning and Development Officer at Uhuru Institute says, such figures call for appropriate interventions in terms of skilling and empowering the cooperatives.

“We ought to have such efforts to close up the gaps and make these businesses competitive with sound and sustainable strategies for survival.”

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The businesses that are being mentored and coached in this first cohort included; Zia Angelina (WASH) Mujaasi Investments (Agri-business), Wana Energy (Clean Energy), Erusi Village SACCO (Agribusiness), Lyamujungu (Financial Cooperative), Kigya United Farmers (Agribusiness), Standard ICT (an innovations hub), Bloom Engineering (Engineering Services) alongside KK foods, Kigezi Dairy Cooperative, Munaku Kaama SACCO, Nyakibale Development SACCO.

The participants are involved in renewable energy, health, financial services, education, and agribusiness.

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Amuru district suspends road rehabilitations over heavy rains

AMURU – Amuru district local government has suspended road rehabilitations following continuous heavy rainfall being experienced in the district.

At the time of the suspension, the district was grading Oberabic to Gira gira via Otici and Guru guru and Amuru Town Council to Okungedi via Mutema road. Plans were also underway to grade the road from Pabo Town Council to Odura in Pogo sub-county via Olinga in Pabbo sub-county.

Michael Lakony, the LCV Chairperson, Amuru district says, they had reported cases of graders getting stuck on some parts of the road while grading.

Lakony says they also observed that immediately after grading the roads, heavy rains would come and worsen the condition of the roads rendering them impassable.

According to Lakony, resumption of the road grading will be by the end of November this year when the heavy rains have subsided.

Nixion Candano, a resident of Otici trading center says, the bad road condition has made it almost impossible for them to travel to either Oberabic or Guru guru trading center to access the local markets.

He says that mobile merchandise dealers who normally use their vehicles have also abandoned business due to the poor road conditions.

“The mobile merchandise dealers who used to bring us goods using their vehicles have abandoned coming here because the road is too bad. We are struggling to buy essential stuff like salt, soap and even sugar among others,” Candano notes.

Stephen Ojok, a resident of Guru guru trading center says, accessing Olwal Health Center III has become a challenge with most boda-boda cyclists hiking their transport fares by almost double.

He is appealing to the district authorities to consider spot filling the bad spots so that the road is at least accessible.

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“If the district could help us do some spot filling on the very bad spots, it would be fine, because now even the boda-boda riders are hiking their transport fares to double and with the current financial conditions, it’s very difficult. We might end up losing the sick people because they can’t be taken to the health center,” Ojok appealed.

Recently, the road linking the community of Lungulu sub-county in Nwoya to Amuru district was cut off due to the terrible condition of the roads.

Amuru district has a total of 401 kilometers of roads with 354 kilometers in sorry state leaving only 74 Kilometers in a fairly good condition.

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