Dressed in a sleek black ensemble — a Clifton top, matching skirt, and heels — Winfred Phiona Adong stepped into Sezibwa Hall at Hotel Africana with quiet confidence. Her calm, articulate manner reflected someone at ease with boardrooms and business negotiations.
Adong was among a select group of customers invited to Equity Bank’s Customer Service Week Stakeholder Breakfast, held under the theme “Listening to the Sound of the River.” The event, hosted on October 7, was designed to strengthen trust, gather customer feedback, and celebrate partnerships built on mutual growth.
For Adong, the session was more than symbolic. It was an opportunity to explore new ways to expand her dream — “Empowering struggling women, especially single mothers and the entire community,” she said.
That dream began three years ago when she walked away from her corporate sales job in Kampala to start a new chapter in Soroti District. “I’m a very ambitious person,” she recalled with a smile. “I felt it was time to relocate and invest my intellectual capacity elsewhere. So, I decided to venture into manufacturing — to provide solutions, not just sell products.”
Guided by what she calls her “adventurous spirit,” Adong took a bold step into construction — a field many women shy away from. “Many women fear male-dominated industries, but I wasn’t afraid,” she said confidently.
After struggling to secure financing from several institutions, Adong found a partner in Equity Bank. “Equity made my start-up journey very smooth,” she said. “They didn’t just give me money — they gave me a partnership. I had a flexible payback period, capacity building, and financial literacy support. That foundation has shaped my company into what it is today.”
With a UGX 300 million loan from Equity, Ayoma Manufacturing and Construction Company was born in January 2025. Since then, Adong’s firm has completed several high-profile projects, including the construction of state-of-the-art waterborne toilets at Queen Elizabeth National Park and new staff accommodation facilities at Mount Elgon National Park.
Building on that success, she diversified into consumer goods, launching Ayoma Toilet Paper Industry Ltd. “Everyone needs toilet paper,” she said, laughing. “When I met with my business partners, we saw the potential and decided to expand further into stationery.”
To support this new venture, which required an investment of $330,000, Adong once again turned to Equity Bank. Through Contract Financing, the bank enabled her to mobilise raw materials such as pulp wood and enter the market competitively.
Claver Serumaga, Executive Director at Equity Bank Uganda, said Adong’s story represents the bank’s broader philosophy. “We are reorganising how we engage with customers — following up on their progress and providing ongoing capacity support,” he explained. “As our customers grow, we also grow.”
Today, Ayoma Manufacturing is targeting tenfold growth, expanding its distribution network to Lira, Gulu, Mbale, Jinja, and soon, Kampala. The company also plans to automate its production line and diversify into a full stationery range.
Adong, who employs a majority of single mothers in her operations, says the business has given her purpose beyond profit. “I started small, but now I’m changing lives,” she said proudly. “Most of my casual employees are single mothers — women who can now support their families with dignity.”
Her appeal to policymakers is simple yet powerful: “I urge the Government of Uganda to grant tax holidays to indigenous manufacturers like us. It would help us grow faster and create more jobs for Ugandans.”