Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) has trained 230 retailers in Masaka District in practical business, financial and digital skills, as the company’s Growing Retailers Innovatively Together (GRIT) programme continues to expand across Uganda.
The Masaka sessions, saw bar owners, shop managers and stockists from across the district, get financial management, stock control, sales and marketing, responsible retailing, digital payments and long-term business planning.
The training gave particular emphasis to foundational skills that many small business owners apply inconsistently: separating business and personal finances, maintaining basic records, managing cash flow and planning for growth.
Masaka follows earlier GRIT training cycles in Kampala and Gulu, and forms part of NBL’s commitment to equip more than 1,500 retailers across the country with the skills to build stronger, more resilient businesses.
Emmanuel Njuki, Head of Legal & Corporate Affairs at Nile Breweries Limited, said the programme reflects the company’s understanding that the health of its business is inseparable from the health of the retailers it works with.
“Retailers are at the heart of our business and a critical part of Uganda’s local economy. Through GRIT, we are not simply training people; we are investing in the sustainability of the businesses that bring our products to consumers every day. When retailers are stronger, the entire value chain is stronger,” noted Njuki
The programme goes beyond classroom training. Through a partnership with the National Social Security Fund, participating retailers received guidance on the NSSF SmartLife Flexi voluntary savings product, a long-term savings solution tailored to informal and semi-formal sector workers, and were supported to register and begin contributing. The training also promoted cashless business operations through MTN Mobile Money, enabling retailers to access digital payment solutions that improve transaction security, speed and record-keeping.
“Practical knowledge alone is not enough. GRIT deliberately connects retailers to tools, savings products, mobile money, and record keeping systems that allow them to put that knowledge to work immediately and sustain it. The goal is to help them move from day-to-day survival to structured, resilient business growth,” noted Njuki.
Steven Sekamatte, proprietor of Vegas Depot and Pub in Mutukula, said the training had offered immediately applicable lessons.
“The training has helped me understand how to separate business money from personal money, keep better records and manage my stock more effectively. I have also learned how digital payments and regular saving can help me run my business more securely and plan for growth,” shared Sekamatte.
Uganda’s Small and Medium Enterprise sector accounts for 90% of the country’s businesses, employs more than 2.5 million people and contributes approximately 20% of GDP, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics.