Equity Bank Uganda’s more than USD50 million financing of Microhaem Scientifics is helping to build one of Uganda’s more ambitious bets on domestic medical manufacturing, as the company moves to expand production of diagnostic products at Namanve Industrial Park.

The scale of the investment came into sharper focus on August 7 when Equity Bank Uganda Board Chair Henry Rugamba, Managing Director Gift Shoko and senior executives toured Microhaem’s existing production facility in Ntinda and its 20-acre Phase II development at Namanve.

The engagement was an opportunity for the lender to assess a manufacturing project that has moved beyond the conventional small-scale industrial enterprise and into an area with implications for Uganda’s health security, foreign-exchange requirements and industrialisation ambitions.

Microhaem, founded by Ugandan scientist Dr Cedric Akwesigye, has spent about 14 years developing and manufacturing in-vitro diagnostic products for the African market. Its product portfolio includes malaria, HIV and sickle-cell diagnostic tests, alongside molecular reagents.

The company’s central proposition is that some medical products routinely imported into African markets can be manufactured closer to where they are consumed, reducing exposure to international supply disruptions while creating local industrial capability.

That proposition has become more significant as African countries seek to reduce dependence on imported medicines and medical supplies. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of countries that rely heavily on international supply chains for essential health products, while transport disruptions and foreign-exchange shortages have continued to complicate imports.

Microhaem’s existing Ntinda facility supplies national programmes and private-sector healthcare providers. The company is now building a substantially larger manufacturing complex at Namanve, designed to increase production capacity and broaden its manufacturing base.

The Phase II project includes a four-level manufacturing block measuring about 40 metres by 160 metres, dedicated utility systems, research and development facilities and a plastics plant for syringes and other consumables. The development is also expected to support expansion beyond diagnostics into pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Civil works on the main manufacturing block are expected to be completed by December 2026, after which the facility will undergo Good Manufacturing Practice fit-out and validation. The company expects the first validated products from the new complex in about 18 months.

The expansion illustrates the kind of longer-term industrial financing required to move Ugandan manufacturing beyond relatively simple processing into more technically demanding production.

Equity said it has committed more than USD50 million in financing to Microhaem over time, supporting the company’s expansion of production capacity, quality systems and infrastructure.

“This is African capability in action,” Rugamba said during the visit. “Microhaem is not waiting for solutions to be shipped from elsewhere; it is building them here.”

The financing forms part of Equity Group’s Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan, which places emphasis on private-sector investment, industrialisation and the development of regional value chains.

Shoko said the Microhaem investment reflected the bank’s strategy of directing capital towards businesses capable of reducing import dependence while creating skilled employment.

But the significance of the project extends beyond the relationship between a bank and one manufacturer.

Uganda remains heavily dependent on imported medicines, medical equipment and diagnostic supplies, meaning that increasing domestic production can potentially retain more value within the economy while reducing some exposure to international supply-chain disruptions and foreign-exchange movements.

The bigger challenge is turning production capacity into commercially sustainable scale.

For local manufacturers, that requires not only long-term financing but also predictable procurement, internationally recognised quality standards, research and development, access to export markets and the ability to compete on price and reliability with established global suppliers.

Microhaem’s Namanve expansion is therefore a test of whether Uganda can build the ecosystem required to support sophisticated medical manufacturing rather than simply individual factories.

Akwesigye said the company’s objective is to develop high-quality medical products in Uganda for the domestic and wider African markets.

“Fourteen years of rigorous development, testing and iteration have brought us to this point,” he said, crediting Equity’s financing with helping sustain the company’s expansion.

If the Namanve facility reaches its planned production capacity, Microhaem could become a more significant player in Uganda’s effort to substitute select medical imports with locally manufactured products.

For Equity Bank, the project also offers a test of whether patient capital, the development-finance proposition behind its manufacturing push can help Ugandan businesses build productive capacity capable of serving both domestic demand and regional markets.

The real measure of the partnership, however, might not be the size of the financing or the scale of the new factory but whether the investment ultimately translates into competitive products, sustained production, exports and a measurable reduction in Uganda’s dependence on imported medical supplies.

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Africa’s ambitions to build a bigger presence in the space economy are beginning to create a pipeline for technical talent, with 2,626 students completing a continent-wide aerospace programme this year.

The graduates are the third cohort of the Pathways to Space programme, run by the Future African Space Explorers STEM Academy (FASESA) in partnership with Boeing, and drawn from Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and, for the first time, South Africa.

The programme, which targets high school students, is expanding at a time when African countries are investing in satellite technology and space-based applications including Earth observation, remote sensing, communications and data services.

The 2026 cohort included 1,313 students from South Africa, 832 from Ethiopia, 431 from Nigeria and 50 from Kenya.

Over five months, the students were exposed to astronautics, systems engineering, human factors and materials science through project-based learning. They also participated in a high-altitude balloon mission designed to develop practical skills in payloads, data collection and analysis.

The programme also introduced a new design challenge in which students developed prototype spacesuit concepts, bringing an industry-oriented dimension to what could otherwise have remained classroom-based STEM education.

Henok Teferra Shawl, Boeing’s managing director for Africa, said the programme was intended to help create a “homegrown talent pipeline” capable of supporting Africa’s participation in the global space economy.

That pipeline could become increasingly important as African governments and national space agencies expand their use of space technology.

The African Union’s African Space Agency provides a continental coordination framework, while individual countries are developing capabilities around satellites, Earth observation, remote sensing and communications.

The challenge for Africa is therefore shifting from simply acquiring space technology to developing the skills required to design, operate, interpret and commercialise it.

FASESA Managing Director Sean Jacobs said the programme was designed to move students beyond examinations and qualifications towards solving real-world problems.

The organisers point to early outcomes from previous cohorts as evidence of that approach. One former participant has been selected to participate in Mission ShakthiSAT, an international all-women-led lunar mission, while another designed a parabolic-grid radio telescope.

The programme’s expansion is significant when measured against its starting point.

Since its launch in 2024, Pathways to Space has reached almost 3,500 students across Africa. The inaugural programme involved just over 300 students from Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania, making the 2026 cohort several times larger than the first intake.

The expansion into South Africa is particularly significant because of the country’s relatively mature space ecosystem and established capabilities in satellite development, space science and applications.

But the bigger economic question is whether initiatives of this kind can eventually translate into a deeper African aerospace industry.

A growing pool of students with exposure to engineering, space science and data analysis provides a potential foundation for future researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs and technical specialists. Turning that potential into economic value, however, will depend on universities, governments and private industry providing pathways from school programmes into higher education, research, employment and enterprise.

For now, the graduation of 2,626 students marks a significant expansion of the continent’s effort to introduce space technology and aerospace careers to a much wider generation of African learners.

The organisers say the programme is not simply about producing future astronauts. Its broader objective is to expose young Africans to the range of technical careers that underpin the space economy — from engineering and software to mission operations, research and data analysis.

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Uganda Development Bank (UDB) has committed UGXs20 million to the 2026 Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon, as attention turns to the investment opportunities and infrastructure constraints exposed by the fast-growing tourism event.

The marathon, scheduled for August 22 in Kasese District, is expected to attract about 8,000 runners from 27 countries, according to organisers, creating demand for accommodation, transport and other tourism services in the Rwenzori sub-region.

UDB Managing Director Dr Patricia Ojangole handed over the sponsorship cheque to marathon Team Lead Amos Wekesa at the bank’s Kampala headquarters on Tuesday.

The bank will also field a team of staff in this year’s race, its second sponsorship of the event and the third year its employees have participated as runners.

Joshua Allan Mwesiga, UDB’s Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs, said the bank’s interest in the marathon is linked to tourism’s potential to generate foreign exchange and support wider economic activity.

“We are supporting the marathon because we believe tourism is a key foreign exchange earner for the country and by supporting the sector, we are supporting Uganda’s growth,” Mwesiga said.

He said UDB was interested in helping diversify Uganda’s tourism offering beyond conventional attractions by supporting experiential tourism, including cultural, heritage and culinary tourism.

But the growing popularity of the Rwenzori Marathon is also highlighting some of the physical investment gaps that continue to constrain tourism in destinations outside Uganda’s main tourism corridors.

Mwesiga identified accommodation, enabling infrastructure, specialised tourism vehicles and skills development among areas requiring further investment.

Wekesa said the accommodation shortage is already evident in Kasese, where hotels are routinely overbooked ahead of the marathon.

“For those looking to invest in the tourism sector, Uganda Development Bank is an essential partner to engage given the Bank’s low interest rates,” he said.

The investment case is being strengthened by the marathon’s growing international profile. This year’s event has received World Athletics Label Road Race status, making it the first marathon in Uganda and only the third in East Africa to receive the international designation.

The status could further increase the event’s attractiveness to international runners while giving Ugandan athletes an avenue to compete in a race recognised within the global athletics system.

For the Rwenzori region, however, the larger economic opportunity may lie beyond the race itself.

Wekesa said the marathon had become an opportunity to draw investment into the sub-region, noting that Kasese leaders had held several discussions on how to develop the district, with UDB participating in those engagements.

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For Uganda’s agro-processors, access to finance can determine whether investment in machinery translates into a bigger business or simply leaves expensive production capacity underutilised.

Master Grain Milling Limited illustrates this well. The Jinja-based wheat processor started production in 2013 with a single production line. By the 2025/26 financial year, the company had grown into an agro-processing business with annual turnover of more than UGX60 billion, a nationwide distribution network and installed production capacity of 540 tonnes a day.

The company attributes a significant part of that expansion to access to finance, including funding and trade-finance support from Equity Bank Uganda, which became its banker in 2018 after its previous financiers could no longer meet its funding requirements.

“Equity Bank saved us some time back. Our former bankers reached a point where they couldn’t support us financially, but Equity Bank came on board and gave us the exact funds we needed,” said Hajji Swammit Itaaga, Master Grain Milling’s managing director.

The significance of the financing was not simply that it provided money to the business. It enabled the company to invest in the productive assets and operating systems required to move beyond its original scale.

In 2019, Master Grain Milling acquired a modern production line from Europe, substantially increasing its production capacity. It subsequently expanded its distribution infrastructure, replaced an ageing transport fleet and established dedicated finance, production and sales functions.

The company now has about 22 sales representatives serving distributors across Uganda, each supported by company vehicles.

Meddy Mbaziira, the company’s head of sales and marketing, said the changes represented a shift from an owner-managed operation to a more structured business.

“Initially, the structures weren’t there because it was a one-man-run business, but right now the business has structures,” Mbaziira said.

The distinction matters because financing productive capacity is only one part of the growth equation.

For manufacturers and agro-processors, machinery creates the ability to produce more, but working capital determines whether that capacity can be consistently deployed. Businesses need cash to buy raw materials, maintain inventories, meet operating expenses and bridge the gap between supplying customers and receiving payment.

That is now becoming Master Grain Milling’s next financing challenge.

“If we continue working closely with Equity Bank to meet these current needs, we will be able to employ even more people,” Itaaga said.

The company says its immediate ambition is to make fuller use of its 540-tonne daily production capacity.

That puts working capital at the centre of the next phase of its growth rather than machinery alone.

The company’s experience illustrates a broader issue for Uganda’s push for agricultural value addition. Financing industrialisation is not limited to long-term loans for equipment. Businesses also require appropriately structured short- and medium-term funding to keep factories operating at commercially viable levels once the machinery is in place.

Equity Bank’s relationship with Master Grain Milling began with a financing requirement but has since extended into trade finance and discussions around the company’s expansion needs.

The bank’s executive leadership recently visited the company’s Jinja plant, led by Board Chair Henry Rugamba and Managing Director Gift Shoko, as part of engagement with the business around its operations and growth prospects.

For Master Grain Milling, the trajectory from a single production line to a business reporting more than UGX60 billion in annual turnover illustrates the potential impact of finance when it is matched with investment in technology, distribution and management systems.

But the next stage could be more revealing. The company already has substantial installed production capacity. The question is whether it can secure enough working capital to operate that capacity more intensively and turn fixed investment into higher volumes, revenues and employment.

That is a more fundamental test of finance’s impact on industrialisation; not merely whether banks can fund factories, but whether they can help viable businesses keep those factories running, expand markets and convert productive capacity into sustained economic activity.

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Uganda’s tourism sector is looking to turn the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Open Park Days into a broader commercial opportunity for local travel, with accommodation providers, transport companies, experience operators and corporate brands being encouraged to plug into the three-day national tourism activation.

The 2026 UWA Open Park Days are scheduled for September 25–27, with Breathtaking Uganda, trading as Fleetline Tours and Travel Ltd, among the private-sector players supporting the coordination of accommodation, transport and tourism experiences.

The initiative comes as Uganda seeks to deepen domestic tourism and capture more value from its natural and wildlife assets by encouraging Ugandans to visit the country’s protected areas.

“We want travelling Uganda to become normal, says  Isaiah Rwanyekiro, the CEO Breathtaking Uganda. “We want friends planning national park weekends instead of asking whether tourism is “for them.” We want families saving towards annual Ugandan holidays. We want young people creating memories in Kidepo, Murchison, Queen Elizabeth and Lake Mburo. We want brands competing to participate in domestic tourism experiences. Most importantly, we want Ugandans to understand the simple truth that Uganda is breathtaking.”

Rather than treating the open days simply as a promotional campaign for wildlife parks, the private-sector push seeks to connect visitors with businesses operating across the tourism value chain, potentially creating additional demand for hotels and lodges, transport operators, tour companies, guides and experience providers.

Breathtaking Uganda is also exploring partnerships with reputable financial institutions around dedicated travel-saving schemes and responsible micro-lending solutions that would allow travellers to save gradually towards holidays or access manageable financing for selected travel experiences.

“Why shouldn’t structured financial products also help people experience their own country?” Asks Rwanyekiro. “Travel should increasingly become something households and individuals deliberately budget for rather than an occasional luxury funded entirely from disposable cash.”

According to Rwanyekiro, Uganda already has the attractions and what is required is to build the distribution network, products, financing mechanisms, storytelling and excitement required to get more Ugandans consuming those attractions.

Breathtaking Uganda is calling on accommodation facilities, transport providers, tourism operators and corporate companies to participate in the campaign, positioning the initiative as an opportunity for businesses to access domestic travellers while supporting the wider tourism ecosystem.

“The UWA Open Park Days are an opportunity to make Uganda’s protected areas more accessible to Ugandans while creating stronger commercial linkages across the tourism value chain. By bringing accommodation providers, transport operators, experience providers and corporate partners together, we can build a more connected domestic tourism market that delivers value for both travellers and businesses,” Breathtaking Uganda CEO Isaiah Rwanyekiro said.

The campaign is being undertaken in collaboration with UWA, the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities and the Uganda Tourism Board, alongside private-sector tourism stakeholders.

Domestic tourism remains an important buffer for the industry, which has traditionally depended heavily on international visitors and is exposed to external shocks affecting cross-border travel, aviation and global tourism demand.

A stronger domestic market could also help tourism businesses build more predictable demand outside the traditional international tourism seasons.

The challenge, however, will be converting a three-day activation into repeat travel.  The economic significance of such initiatives lies in whether increased access to protected areas can translate into sustained domestic travel and greater spending beyond park entry fees.

That requires competitive tourism packages, reliable transport, affordable accommodation and experiences that appeal to different segments of the Ugandan market. It also requires stronger coordination between public agencies and private operators so that increased visitor interest translates into actual bookings and spending.

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Ugandan businesses trading with China have gained access to a new payment infrastructure that promises to make cross-border transactions faster, cheaper and less exposed to foreign exchange risks, as Stanbic Bank Uganda becomes the country’s first financial institution to connect to China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS).

While the announcement is significant for Stanbic, the bigger story lies in what CIPS as a financial tool designed to remove one of the biggest friction points in international commerce—the movement of money; represents for Uganda’s growing trade relationship with China.

For years, many Ugandan importers buying goods from China have had to route payments through intermediary banks and convert Ugandan shillings into US dollars before ultimately settling invoices in Chinese yuan (RMB). Each step added transaction costs, settlement delays and exposure to currency fluctuations.

Officials further explained that direct yuan settlement removes an exchange-rate risk faced by Ugandan businesses that previously converted shillings into US dollars before making payments in yuan. The two-step process left traders vulnerable to movements in the USD/UGX rate, even where the shilling-yuan relationship remained relatively stable.

CIPS changes that equation by allowing participating banks to settle cross-border payments directly in RMB through China’s official payment infrastructure.

The system, launched by the People’s Bank of China in 2015, has become the backbone of international yuan settlements as China seeks to make its currency more widely used in global trade.

For Uganda, whose imports from China reached USD3.3 billion in 2025 against exports of just USD118 million, the implications extend beyond payment efficiency.

The platform offers exporters easier access to Chinese buyers while giving importers greater certainty over payment timelines and foreign exchange costs.

Stanbic Bank Uganda Chief Executive Mumba Kalifungwa said direct RMB settlement would modernise trade finance by reducing dependence on intermediary currencies.

“The system will give Ugandan businesses a competitive edge and significantly contribute to government’s efforts to grow the economy tenfold to USD500 billion by 2040,” Kalifungwa said.

He noted that settling directly in yuan reduces foreign exchange volatility while accelerating payment processing between Ugandan and Chinese businesses.

The launch was announced during the revived Stanbic–China Trade Forum in Kampala, where government and business leaders highlighted the growing importance of financial infrastructure in supporting trade.

Minister of State for Industry David Bahati described the platform as addressing longstanding payment and information bottlenecks affecting Uganda-China commerce.

“China is one of Uganda’s most significant bilateral partners. This solution removes key bottlenecks and opens practical pathways for deeper industrial and commercial collaboration,” Bahati said.

Beyond facilitating payments, the new system could improve cash-flow management for businesses by shortening settlement cycles, enabling importers to receive goods sooner while allowing exporters to access funds more quickly.

For banks, direct settlement also reduces operational complexity by eliminating multiple correspondent banking relationships traditionally required for international transactions.

Andrew Mashanda, Standard Bank Group’s Head of Business and Commercial Banking for Africa Regions and Offshore, said Africa’s next phase of engagement with China would depend less on trade volumes and more on deeper industrial partnerships.

“Africa-China trade has been a key driver of growth across the continent. The next chapter will be defined not just by trade volumes, but by what we build together—manufacturing capacity, value addition and infrastructure,” he said.

The introduction of CIPS also aligns with Uganda’s ambition to position itself as a regional commercial gateway serving the wider East African market.

Complementing the payment platform is Stanbic’s partnership with Guomao, a business platform that links Ugandan companies with one of Beijing’s largest wholesale trading districts, providing direct sourcing opportunities for local importers.

Although CIPS will not alter Uganda’s trade imbalance with China overnight, it removes one of the financial barriers that has complicated commercial transactions between the two countries.

As more African financial institutions connect to China’s payment infrastructure, businesses are likely to judge success not by the technology itself, but by whether it lowers transaction costs, improves access to suppliers and buyers, and ultimately makes regional companies more competitive in one of the world’s largest trading relationships.

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Rwanda’s decision to suspend imports of 52 alcoholic beverage brands from Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and India is a pointed indictment of the quality assurance systems operated by the standards and food safety regulators in the countries where the products originated.

The sweeping action by the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA), announced on August 5, underscores growing concern over whether products certified for sale in one East African market can continue to enjoy automatic regulatory confidence in another.

Under regional trade arrangements, regulators generally recognise one another’s quality marks to facilitate the free movement of goods and reduce unnecessary barriers to trade. That mutual trust is backed by post-market surveillance, where products already on sale are routinely sampled and tested, with any concerns first referred to the regulator in the exporting country.

Industry experts note that a mass recall and suspension of imports typically come only after those regulatory mechanisms have failed to resolve compliance concerns.

The Rwanda FDA ordered the immediate suspension of imports of 52 alcoholic beverages, most originating from Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and India, and directed importers to recall all affected products from the market.

Distributors and retailers have been instructed to stop selling the listed products immediately and return remaining stocks to importers, while consumers have been advised not to consume the affected beverages.

The regulator also ordered the removal of all advertising and promotional materials associated with the suspended brands and warned that failure to comply would attract regulatory sanctions.

Uganda accounts for a significant share of the suspended products.

Among those listed are Bond 7 Whisky and Gilbeys’ Flavoured Gin from Uganda Breweries Ltd, Campfire Gin, X5 Gin, X5 Whisky, X5 Liqueur, Jonney’s Gin and Pan Master Whisky from John Distillers (U) Ltd, as well as Club 5 Gin and Tembo Liqueur from Glorrie Industries.

The action also affects products manufactured in Tanzania, including Konyagi, Diamond Rock Gin, X5 Gin and Hanson’s Vodka, as well as brands from Kenya, Burundi and India.

For Ugandan manufacturers, the suspension raises questions about the effectiveness of domestic quality assurance systems and the potential commercial implications if export markets begin demanding additional certification before accepting products.

The latest measures represent a significant escalation in Rwanda’s campaign against unsafe alcohol.

Inside NBG factory’s store in Gasabo District. Authorities seized products worth more than Rwf2.6 billion and imposed fines of nearly Rwf360 million countrywide. Picture Courtesy The New Times Rwanda

Authorities say more than 50 people have died this year after consuming illicit alcoholic beverages, while more than 100 people have suffered blindness linked to contaminated alcohol. More than 500 others have sought medical treatment.

The crackdown has already resulted in the closure of more than 130 manufacturing companies and the arrest of over 60 people accused of producing and distributing illicit alcoholic beverages, according to Rwandan authorities.

Separately, the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) has withdrawn its S-Mark certification from dozens of alcoholic beverages, ordering manufacturers to recall affected products and prohibiting continued use of the national quality mark.

The standards agency has indicated that additional manufacturers and products could face similar action as inspections continue.

Trade implications

While the suspension is described as temporary, it carries wider implications for regional trade.

The East African Community and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) depend heavily on mutual recognition of standards to lower the cost of doing business across borders. When one country’s regulator loses confidence in products certified by another, exporters can face increased inspections, longer clearance times and additional compliance costs.

For beverage manufacturers, rebuilding confidence may require closer engagement between national standards bodies, food safety regulators and manufacturers to establish whether the affected products failed chemical, labelling or manufacturing compliance requirements.

Neither Rwanda FDA nor the affected manufacturers have publicly detailed the specific technical deficiencies that led to each product’s suspension.

However, the breadth of the action suggests regulators are shifting from targeting illicit alcohol producers alone to examining whether imported products already carrying quality certification continue to meet the standards expected in Rwanda’s market.

As Rwanda intensifies enforcement, regulators across the region may come under pressure to strengthen market surveillance and quality assurance systems to preserve confidence in the mutual recognition framework that underpins East African trade.

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Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) has trained 230 retailers in Masaka District under its Growing Retailers Innovatively Together (GRIT) programme, the latest phase of a nationwide initiative aimed at strengthening business management skills among small enterprises.

The participants, drawn from bars, retail shops and distribution outlets across the district, received training in financial management, stock control, sales and marketing, digital payments, responsible retailing and long-term business planning.

The programme also emphasised practical business disciplines such as separating business and personal finances, maintaining financial records, managing cash flow and planning for growth.

Masaka becomes the third major beneficiary of the initiative after Kampala and Gulu, with NBL targeting more than 1,500 retailers across Uganda through the programme.

Speaking during the training, Nile Breweries Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs Emmanuel Njuki said the initiative recognises the important role retailers play in both the company’s distribution network and the wider economy.

“Retailers are at the heart of our business and a critical part of Uganda’s local economy. When retailers are stronger, the entire value chain is stronger,” Njuki said.

Beyond business training, the programme introduced participants to financial inclusion tools through partnerships with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and MTN Mobile Money.

Retailers received guidance on NSSF’s SmartLife Flexi voluntary savings product, which is designed for workers in the informal and semi-formal sectors, while also learning how to integrate digital payment systems into their businesses to improve transaction security and record-keeping.

According to NBL, linking entrepreneurs to savings products and digital financial services is intended to help small businesses improve resilience and formalise some of their operations.

One of the participants, Steven Sekamatte, proprietor of Vegas Depot and Pub in Mutukula, said the training had provided practical lessons he plans to implement in his business.

He said the sessions improved his understanding of record-keeping, stock management, separating personal and business finances, and the role of digital payments and regular saving in supporting business growth.

Uganda’s small and medium-sized enterprises remain a critical pillar of the economy. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, SMEs account for about 90% of businesses in the country, employ more than 2.5 million people and contribute roughly 20% of gross domestic product.

Private-sector programmes such as GRIT have increasingly focused on improving business skills among informal enterprises, many of which face challenges related to financial management, limited access to formal savings products and low adoption of digital business tools.

For beverage manufacturers and other consumer goods companies, strengthening the capacity of retail partners is also seen as a way of improving efficiency across distribution networks while supporting the growth of small businesses that form part of their supply chains.

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In a rare endorsement from Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Ugandan engineering and energy services firm On Track Technical has been recognised as a model contractor after demonstrating the ability to deliver electricity distribution projects on schedule and within approved budgets.

The recognition came on Tuesday, August 4, when the company appeared before PAC to account for the execution of government contracts worth about UGX7 billion.

Instead of facing the usual scrutiny associated with parliamentary oversight hearings, On Track Technical’s directors received praise from committee members who described the company’s performance as an example of how public infrastructure contracts can be delivered efficiently.

The firm was represented by Director Bwengye Tadeo and Operations Manager Fredrick Tinka, who outlined the company’s track record in supporting Uganda’s electricity distribution expansion through civil engineering, construction, energy and facility management services.

Tinka told the committee that since its establishment in 2010, On Track Technical had built a reputation around professional project management, strong technical teams and financial discipline.

“Our ability to complete projects on time and within the contract sum is because at On Track we employ professionals and ensure that every department has the right people occupying the right positions for a specific task,” he said.

The company’s first major electricity distribution assignment came in 2011 when then electricity distributor Umeme Limited contracted it to refurbish the Masaka Central–Mitala Maria distribution line at a cost of UGX1.1 billion.

The company later executed another Umeme project to refurbish the Mutundwe–Lubowa integration feeder in Kampala valued at UGX465 million, followed by the Mubende–Kakumiro 33kV feeder project worth UGX615 million in 2014.

Its largest assignment came through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA), where On Track Technical was contracted to construct electricity networks in several districts under the Community and Government cost-sharing model.

The UGX5.1 billion project was completed within 19 months, meeting the contractual timelines and avoiding cost overruns.

The company told MPs that its approach is built around technical competence, close project supervision and ensuring that operations continue even when payment cycles from clients delay.

Tinka said the company maintains pre-approved financing facilities with several financial institutions to bridge cash flow gaps and prevent project interruptions.

“We have pre-approved facilities with several financial institutions to ensure we have access to finance as we wait for client disbursements,” he said.

This approach, he added, enables the company to maintain momentum on infrastructure projects while protecting delivery timelines.

PAC members, who routinely investigate delayed projects, inflated costs and poor contractor performance in government programmes, commended the company’s approach.

The committee described On Track Technical as one of the best-performing service providers in Uganda’s electricity distribution sector, citing its professionalism, quality workmanship and commitment to improving reliability of power networks.

The recognition comes as Uganda accelerates investment in electricity access and distribution infrastructure under efforts to expand industrialisation and economic growth.

Reliable electricity networks remain critical to supporting manufacturing, commercial activity and household access, making efficient execution of distribution projects a key component of national development plans.

For On Track Technical, the parliamentary recognition marks a shift in the public conversation around local contractors, demonstrating that domestic firms can successfully execute complex infrastructure assignments when supported by technical capacity, financial planning and effective management.

The company’s performance also highlights the growing role of Ugandan engineering firms in delivering critical infrastructure projects that underpin the country’s economic transformation agenda.

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