By Mulengera Reporters
While some investors are still stuck in endless paperwork and conflicting government guidelines, others have started to see the light, thanks to what one bank calls “financial intermediation with purpose.”
Speaking during a webinar hosted by Equity bank on 2024, themed “exploring trade and investment opportunities in uaganda” Claire Tumwesigye, the Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications said the country’s biggest opportunity is being squandered, not because there’s no money, but because the system has been designed to frustrate those who dare to build.
“People want to invest, they want to do business, but the environment is still filled with too much uncertainty,” she said, adding that many investors, especially foreigners, get discouraged before they even break ground.
“You have capital, you have a plan, but what you don’t have is a clear path,” she added with emphasis.
Tumwesigye, who was speaking during Equity Bank’s recent Knowledge Series webinar, described Uganda’s potential as “vast but poorly harnessed” and called for more deliberate partnerships to bridge the gap between policy and practice.
At the heart of her message was a quiet but firm declaration that Equity Bank is not here to watch from the sidelines.
Through a model built on close cooperation with government institutions and frontline agencies, Tumwesigye said the bank has committed to guiding investors, step by step, until they are not just set up, but thriving.
“You don’t have to go through the maze alone,” she told participants. “Equity Bank is here to walk with you, whether you’re a farmer in Mubende, a health investor in Arua, or a trader looking to enter the East African market.”
She also revealed that the bank has positioned itself in strategic sectors of the economy, like agriculture, trade, tourism, manufacturing, minerals, and health, because that’s where real people live and real value is created.
The most powerful part of her remarks came when she tackled the idea that investment is only for the elite, saying, “We want the boda rider with a business idea, the youth with a tech startup, the woman with a small processing plant in Lira, those are the people we want to empower,” she said.
In a country where many financial institutions focus on short-term returns, Tumwesigye’s message was different, that Equity Bank is betting on Ugandans themselves.
“No economy develops by waiting for miracles. You develop by backing your people. You develop by creating systems that actually work,” she said.
