The training sessions for the first group of entrepreneurs in agribusiness has kicked off following the successful launch of the Business Accelerator Program.
Business Accelerator Program, a brainchild of the Agribusiness Development Centre (ADC) powered by dfcu limited and Rabo foundation will help Agribusinesses to get out of the ideation phase and offer them a business acceleration opportunity.
Ruth Asasira, the manager women in of Business and special programs said the program is aimed at supporting and empowering entrepreneurs in the Agri-business in the country. The business Acceleration Program (BAP) targeted for women-led agribusinesses will build their capacity and investment readiness to access financing from investors and financial institutions.
“We are working to ensure sustainability in the agribusiness space. Look for and address challenges affecting women in business. This cohort is aimed at reaching out to enterprises led and owned by women in the agribusiness space. The Agribusiness, we mean the whole value chain from production, processing, marketing, supply chain, export and others,” she said “We shall help the participants understand the basic management of agribusiness, the risks involved and mobiles capital and financing and market linkages for them. We are looking at empowering entrepreneurs and their agri-businesses; create an enabling environment that can facilitate financing for their businesses and other practices like good governance that can influence the growth of their businesses,” she said
William Sekabembe, the Bank’s Chief Commercial Officer said, “dfcu has made investments in capacity building programs that are customized to address the unique challenges commonly faced by women entrepreneurs. We have also created opportunities and access to funding.”
Since the inception of the Women in Business Program has registered over 80,000 women and positively impacted over 30,000 more. When dfcu Rabo Bank set up the Agribusiness Development Center, our goal was to create self-sufficiency.
The program will enable 350 agribusinesses to become self-sufficient and create at least 350 new jobs, Link at least 50 percent of these agribusinesses to affordable Green Financing, technical assistance and markets.
She said for the next two years, the programs will be held under the themes which include; key value chains; greening agribusinesses; Oil and Gas opportunities for Agribusinesses; Youth in agribusiness with the first cohort premised on a theme of gender inclusivity in agribusiness development.
