About 200 Ugandans who returned from South Africa have received financial literacy and entrepreneurship training to help them rebuild their livelihoods and start businesses back home.
The returnees underwent a two-day financial literacy and business formation workshop at Enterprise Uganda offices in Butabika, which concluded on Thursday, 15 October.
The training comes after the government committed Shs2 billion to a savings and credit cooperative organisation (SACCO) formed by the returnees to help members access funds to start businesses and create sustainable sources of income.
Ambassador Dickson Ogwang Okul, who represented the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, said President Yoweri Museveni had committed the Shs2 billion to support the returnees’ SACCO.
He said the funding was intended to help returnees regain their financial independence, invest in productive activities and create jobs.
“This support is an important step towards helping our people rebuild their livelihoods. We want returnees to invest in productive businesses, restore their financial independence and create opportunities for fellow Ugandans who may return in the future,” Okul said.
Okul also said the government would help returnees obtain the documentation needed to recover equipment they left behind in South Africa.
He added that Uganda would engage the South African government over possible compensation for assets left behind by the returnees.
The workshop was organised with support from Equity Bank Uganda and focused on financial management, business formation, saving, investment and identifying viable business opportunities.
Charles Ocici, the Executive Director of Enterprise Uganda, said financial assistance alone would not be enough to help returnees rebuild, particularly those who had lost assets accumulated over several years while living and working in South Africa.
He said returnees needed to change their mindset and recognise that the skills and experience they gained abroad could help them rebuild their livelihoods.
“What is the mindset of a returnee who comes back thinking, ‘I have lost everything I worked for, and I am home with nothing’? Recovery requires more than money. They must recognise that they still have skills, experience and the ability to build again,” Ocici said.
He said entrepreneurship training would help the returnees identify viable businesses, manage their finances and make informed investment decisions.
Bob Paul Lusembo, Head of Micro Segments at Equity Bank Uganda, who represented Managing Director Gift Shoko, encouraged the returnees to start with the resources available to them and grow their businesses gradually.
“There is no dignity in poverty. We want our returnees to regain their confidence, start small and build businesses that support their families,” Lusembo said.
He said saving, financial discipline and proper business planning would be important if the returnees were to build sustainable enterprises.
Mathias Baguma, chairman of the returnees, said the training had given participants practical knowledge on how to restart their economic lives.
“The training has equipped us not only with knowledge but also opened avenues on where we are to restart and how,” Baguma said.
The returnees will now be expected to apply the skills gained from the training as they seek to establish businesses and regain financial stability.
The Shs2 billion SACCO funding, combined with entrepreneurship training, is expected to provide a starting point for returnees seeking to rebuild livelihoods after their return from South Africa.
