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The Japan government has given Uganda $2.875 million grant to improve access to income earning opportunities for poor and vulnerable households in Northern Uganda.
The grant will benefit 120 existing community groups that were established under the NUSAF2 Project, and support 240 new ones. Groups are to have 10 to 15 members, and receive training in business management and technical skills development to prepare business plans, among others.
The new groups will receive grants of up to $2,000 to start income-generating activities, and benefit from follow-up business advisory support services up to one year to ensure they obtain results. The 120 existing groups will be provided with training and business follow-up services.
In all, a total of 4,680 people from poor and vulnerable households will benefit directly from the project – with at least 50 percent of the members of the new groups expected to be women. Other targeted beneficiaries include female-headed households, people with disabilities, and vulnerable youths.
The grant is financed by the Japan Social Development Fund which is administered by the World Bank. The Office of the Prime Minister in Uganda will manage the grant under the new Northern Uganda Business Advisory Support Project (NUBSP).
NUBSP is a 3-year pilot project designed to complement the ongoing phase 3 of the $130 million Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF3) which is aligned to Government of Uganda’s second National Development Plan, and the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan.
The objective of NUBSP is to enable Government to improve and sustain the incomes of poor and vulnerable households by providing business training, small start-up grants, and follow-up business advisory services to existing and new Community Interest Groups (CIGs) in four pilot districts in Northern Uganda. These include Kitgum, Gulu, Nebbi, and Soroti.
“Japan is committed to supporting efforts by the Government of Uganda to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are felt by all citizens, in a direct and tangible way,” said Kazuaki Kameda, the Ambassador of Japan to Uganda.
