Uganda’s Green SMEs Finish Bootcamps With Wage Support in Sight

For Uganda’s young green businesses, the next hire could come with help covering half the wage bill. More than 50 small and medium-sized enterprises have completed business growth bootcamps, after which selected firms will be eligible for grants that subsidise 50% of newly hired young people’s wages for up to six months, according to Nile Post Uganda. The training is a step towards further support, rather than the end of the programme.

The three-day bootcamps brought together businesses from Kampala Metropolitan, Busoga and West Nile. They were selected from hundreds of applicants for an initiative aimed at strengthening Uganda’s green and circular economy: businesses that use resources efficiently and keep materials in use. Participants operated across renewable energy, sustainable farming, smart irrigation, sustainable fashion and interior design, eco-tourism, waste management, green construction, green manufacturing and digital marketplaces for green materials.

A growth challenge beyond good ideas

The training took place through The Good Green Business Accelerator under the WeWork — Green and Decent Jobs for Youth project. SHONA Group implements the programme in partnership with Enabel and the Government of Uganda, with funding from the European Union and the Kingdom of Belgium. Its focus combines business development with support for youth employment and more efficient resource use.

The organisers describe a business sector with substantial economic weight but persistent obstacles to expansion. By their estimates, SMEs represent about 90% of Uganda’s private sector, contribute roughly 20% of national gross domestic product—the value of goods and services produced—and account for more than 80% of manufactured output. Yet green enterprises face restricted access to finance, gaps in business skills, demanding collateral requirements—the assets lenders require as security—and difficulty finding suitable staff.

Regina Bamugye, SHONA Group’s project manager, said the aim was to make environmental practices a deliberate part of how entrepreneurs run their businesses. She linked stronger business skills and working green supply chains to enterprises’ ability to expand, obtain affordable capital and create sustainable, decent jobs for young Ugandans.

Bamugye said the goal was for entrepreneurs to make green practices an intentional business choice, rather than an accidental outcome.

From training to a three-year plan

For Aminata Najjingo, founder of Amylia Fashions, the bootcamp produced a clearer view of what to do next. She said she gained practical tools, fresh perspectives and useful connections with other entrepreneurs. Her next step is to put a three-year growth plan into practice using what she learned. Other participants also said the sessions helped them identify where their businesses needed improvement and prepare plans for growth.

The next stage will test how those plans develop with continued support. Selected businesses will receive further advice and capacity-building assistance, alongside opportunities to access catalytic matching grants—funding intended to help spur business growth. They will also be eligible for the wage-support grants for new young hires. What comes next is the shift from short training sessions to business plans in action, with finance and talent connections among the programme’s tools.