Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) has launched a nationwide initiative to equip more than 1,500 retailers with critical business, digital and financial management skills in a move aimed at strengthening Uganda’s retail sector and promoting financial inclusion.
The programme, code-named GRIT (Growing Retailers Innovatively Together), is designed to help retailers build sustainable and resilient businesses by improving their ability to manage finances, control stock, increase sales, adopt digital tools and plan for long-term growth.
The beneficiaries include bar owners, managers and stockists who will receive training in financial management, stock control, sales and marketing, responsible retailing, digital adoption and business planning.
Speaking during the inaugural training session in Makindye Division, where the first cohort of more than 300 retailers was trained, NBL Managing Director Nkanyiso Mncwabe said retailers remain central to both the company’s operations and Uganda’s broader economy.
“Retailers are a critical part of our business and of Uganda’s wider economy. Our goal is to ensure that the retailers we work with are not only selling more, but building stronger, more sustainable businesses,” Mncwabe said.
“Through GRIT, we are empowering them with practical skills that help them manage money better, control stock, improve sales, trade responsibly and plan for growth to run their business successfully.”
The 2026 rollout builds on the success of earlier cohorts that trained more than 1,560 retailers in 2024 and 2025.
This year, the programme has been expanded to include a stronger financial inclusion component through a partnership with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). The integration introduces NSSF SmartLife Flexi, a voluntary savings solution designed for people working in the informal and semi-formal sectors.
Through the partnership, participating retailers will receive sensitisation on social security, long-term savings and financial resilience. They will also be supported to register for and begin contributing to the SmartLife Flexi scheme.
NSSF Managing Director Patrick Ayota said the collaboration represents an important opportunity to extend social security coverage to millions of Ugandans operating outside traditional formal employment structures.
“Many small business owners and entrepreneurs contribute significantly to Uganda’s economy, yet they often operate without structured social security or long-term savings support,” Ayota said.
“NSSF SmartLife Flexi was created to give such individuals a flexible way to save for the future. By integrating this solution into the GRIT programme, we are making social security more accessible to retailers and helping them build financial resilience beyond day-to-day business income.”
Ayota revealed that in the 13 months since the launch of SmartLife Flexi, more than 81,000 Ugandans have enrolled in the scheme and collectively saved over Shs126 billion.
The programme is also continuing its partnership with MTN MoMo to promote digital adoption and cashless transactions among small businesses.
Through the initiative, retailers will gain access to mobile money solutions designed to support safer, faster and more transparent business transactions.
MTN MoMo Corporate Sales Manager John Isabirye said digital financial services have become increasingly important for the growth and sustainability of small enterprises.
“Digital financial services are essential for small business growth. Through MTN MoMo, retailers can receive payments, make transactions, reduce cash-handling risks and improve visibility in their business operations,” Isabirye said.
“We are proud to support the GRIT programme because it gives retailers not only the knowledge to grow, but also the tools to participate more confidently in Uganda’s digital economy.”
According to data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the small and medium enterprise sector accounts for about 90 percent of businesses in Uganda, employs more than 2.5 million people and contributes approximately 20 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
For many retailers, the programme offers practical lessons that can be immediately applied to daily operations, including separating business and personal finances, tracking inventory, managing cash flow, improving customer service and planning for expansion.
One retailer who participated in a previous GRIT cohort said the training transformed the way they manage their business.
“The training helped me understand how to separate business money from personal money, track my stock and plan better for my business. These are things we deal with every day, but many of us had never received formal training on how to manage them properly,” the retailer said.
Mncwabe emphasized that GRIT is intended as a long-term investment in retailer development rather than a one-off intervention.
“We want our retailers to grow with us, to become more resilient, more digitally enabled and more financially secure. As we scale the programme in 2026, we are also strengthening partnerships that bring real value to retailers beyond training, including access to digital payment solutions and social security through NSSF SmartLife Flexi,” he said.
“Responsible retailing means reinvesting in their business; being able to manage and save money is important. The retailers are educated and exposed to a saving and investment culture to increase their sustainability.”
Through GRIT, NBL is positioning retailer empowerment as a key pillar of sustainable business growth while demonstrating how partnerships between the private sector, financial institutions and digital service providers can support entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and economic resilience across Uganda.