aBi Development Ltd, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, have held m a stakeholder engagement to align efforts towards empowering young women entrepreneurs in agriculture through coffee.
The meeting brought together leaders from government, the private sector, producer organizations, development partners, and financial institutions to explore a common roadmap for inclusive economic participation of young women in Uganda’s coffee sector.
The meeting focused on amplifying the “Empowering Young-Women Entrepreneurs stimulated by Coffee” (EYE-C) Programme, funded by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented by aBi Development.
The program aims to create 300,000 dignified jobs for young women through coffee-led economic inclusion, offering a powerful avenue to drive inclusive agricultural transformation.
Moses Nyabila, the CEO of aBi, emphasized that the primary purpose of the meeting was to bring together key stakeholders with the collective aim of helping Uganda attain 20 million coffee bags per annum by 2030, under the government’s Coffee Roadmap Vision 2030.
Nyabila revealed that the Mastercard Foundation is set to invest nearly $50 million into the EYE-C initiative, with a further $20 million ya committed to support the program’s long-term goals.
Caroline Wamono, the Interim Program Director of EYE-C, stated that the program has the potential to unlock rural Uganda by doubling the household incomes of young farmers, empowering women, and preparing communities for a climate-smart future.
Dr Gerald Kyalo, Commissioner for Coffee Development at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), noted that EYE-C will help escalate the Coffee Roadmap Vision 2030.
Martin Maraka, CEO of the Uganda Coffee Federation, called for more youth and women involvement in the coffee sector, emphasizing that their participation is key to the industry’s future.
The EYE-C program is expected to make a significant impact on Uganda’s coffee sector, with the potential to create jobs, empower women, and drive economic growth.