Uganda Green Entrepreneurs Set for Paris Visit as Stanbic-France Partnership Graduates 106

September 19, 2026 in Companies, Land & Agriculture, Travel & Tourism by Editor

Steven Mutebi, the Co-Founder of Binjii Store Limited showing off his certificate at the graduation ceremony

Stanbic Uganda and France graduate 106 green entrepreneurs, expanding support for women and youth-led climate-smart enterprises.

 

Ten Ugandan green entrepreneurs are set to travel to France for an exposure visit after graduating from a year-long business acceleration programme supported by Stanbic Uganda and the Embassy of France, which has equipped 106 entrepreneurs with skills to scale climate-smart enterprises and attract investment.

The visit is part of a UGX3 billion partnership between the French Embassy and Stanbic Business Incubator Limited (SBIL), aimed at strengthening Uganda’s emerging green economy while expanding opportunities for women and youth-led businesses

The graduates completed the year-long Stanbic GreenTech Accelerator and Incubation Programme, which seeks to help climate-smart enterprises strengthen their business models, attract investment and scale their operations.

The initiative is backed by a UGX3 billion partnership between the French Embassy and Stanbic Business Incubator Limited (SBIL), a subsidiary of Stanbic Uganda Holdings Limited (SUHL).

Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Kampala on September 18, Minister of State for Gender and Culture Mary Kutesa Kamuli said partnerships of this nature could help address barriers limiting the participation of women and young people in economic production.

She linked the programme to Uganda’s ambition of achieving tenfold economic growth by 2040, arguing that the target would require broader access to economic opportunities.

“To achieve the growth we aspire to, we must expand economic opportunities for women and youth,” Kutesa said, commending Stanbic Uganda and the Embassy of France for providing practical support to entrepreneurs.

The programme supports enterprises working in areas including sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, waste management and circular economy solutions. Its focus is on equipping entrepreneurs with business skills, networks and investment-readiness capabilities.

Launched in November 2025, the initiative targets up to 200 enterprises across the Kampala Metropolitan Area and the Albertine Region. More than 60 percent of participating enterprises are led by women and young people.

The partnership reflects growing attention to the role of private enterprise in addressing environmental challenges while creating jobs and expanding livelihoods.

Mark Ocitti Ongom, chief executive of Stanbic Uganda Holdings, said the collaboration with France was part of the bank’s broader commitment to supporting Uganda’s long-term economic development.

“The Embassy of France is interested in sustainable growth for Uganda. We, on the other hand, call Uganda home and are committed to driving her growth,” Ocitti said.

He described the programme as an example of what could be achieved when partners combine resources to support entrepreneurs addressing practical challenges.

Stanbic Uganda has pledged to mobilise up to Shs1 trillion by 2028 to support sustainable livelihood opportunities for women, youth and farmers. The bank had mobilised Shs440 billion by June 2026, according to the information provided at the ceremony.

The scale-up target places the GreenTech programme within a wider institutional effort to connect sustainability objectives with access to finance and enterprise development.

SBIL chief executive Catherine Poran said the graduating entrepreneurs had spent the past year refining their business models, validating their solutions and preparing for expansion.

“The entrepreneurs graduating today have spent the past year strengthening their business models, validating their solutions and preparing for growth,” Poran said.

She added that the programme was intended to position businesses to attract capital, create employment and compete in the market.

The graduation also marked the launch of a second phase of the initiative, with the Embassy of France and SBIL signing an agreement to extend implementation for another year.

The renewed programme will open applications for a new cohort of green entrepreneurs, expanding access to mentorship, business development services and investment-readiness training.

French Ambassador Virginie Leroy said entrepreneurs would be central to Uganda’s efforts to combine economic growth with responses to climate-related challenges.

“The solutions being developed by these businesses show that sustainability and economic growth can go hand in hand,” Leroy said.

She highlighted the importance of innovators who can translate environmental challenges into practical and commercially viable solutions.

Exposure visit to France

As part of the support for the inaugural cohort, the French Embassy announced that 10 outstanding entrepreneurs would be sponsored for an exposure visit to France.

The visit is expected to provide opportunities to engage with innovation hubs, green enterprises and potential business partners.

The initiative offers the selected businesses an opportunity to gain exposure to enterprise ecosystems outside Uganda, although the commercial outcomes of the engagements will depend on the partnerships and opportunities that emerge.