In trading centres across Kasese District, young women entrepreneurs are increasingly using mobile phones as business tools, shifting from traditional methods of record-keeping to digital platforms for financial management, marketing, and customer engagement.
Development practitioners say this growing trend of digital entrepreneurship has the potential to contribute significantly to Uganda’s broader economic transformation.
The shift is being supported through the “Business Ku Ssimu Yo” campaign, an initiative implemented by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in partnership with Outbox Uganda and the Mastercard Foundation. The programme aims to equip young entrepreneurs with practical digital and financial literacy skills to enable them to run and expand businesses using mobile technology.
During a recent business clinic in Kasese, participants were trained to use digital tools for tracking sales, managing stock, recording transactions, and promoting products online. Trainers emphasized the importance of integrating technology into everyday business operations rather than limiting mobile phones to communication and social use.
Several participants reported that digital tools have improved their business efficiency by reducing errors in record keeping and helping them monitor cash flow more effectively. Others noted that mobile platforms have expanded their customer reach beyond local markets.
Organisers observed that although smartphone use among young people is rising, many small businesses still operate informally with limited financial documentation and restricted access to digital services. They stressed that empowering young women with digital skills is essential, given their significant role in Uganda’s informal and small enterprise sector.
Rachael Kentenyingi, Communications Specialist at UNCDF, said digitalisation is enabling young women to participate more actively in economic activities while strengthening household and community resilience.
“When young women gain digital skills, they do not only improve their businesses, they strengthen families and local economies as well,” she said during the engagement.
She added that the “Business Ku Ssimu Yo” initiative is helping bridge the gap between informal enterprises and formal financial systems by making digital tools more accessible, especially in rural and underserved areas.
The nationwide programme aims to reach more than 66,000 young people across Uganda with digital and financial literacy training, positioning digital adoption as a key driver of inclusive economic growth.
