Jinja women acquire skills at NMG business symposium    

 Participants during the Rising Woman training co-sponsored by Nation Media Group in Jinja City last week. PHOTO/DENIS EDEMA

Over 100 women entrepreneurs have acquired skills on how to operate and manage their investments during a symposium organised by Nation Media Group (NMG), in partnership with Dfcu Bank (Women in Business Programme) and Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) in Jinja City.

The participants, dealing in restaurants, crafts and boutiques among others, were drawn from Jinja City, Jinja and Buikwe Districts, and trained in recordkeeping, customer care and financial literacy among other business-related management skills.

Ms Christine Gire, who deals in crafts on Main Street in Jinja City, makes a contribution during the Rising Woman training co-sponsored by Nation Media Group in Jinja City last week. PHOTOS/DENIS EDEMA

The participants were encouraged to always make their products attractive, add value to them and ensure that they are well-packaged before their clients.

The training is targeting 10 women entrepreneurs, with Shs30m for a business trip in Nairobi up for grabs.

How to win

The participants were encouraged to route their business proposals through Daily Monitor Publications Limited’s Rising Woman platform, according to Ms Elizabeth Namaganda, the Head of Marketing at NMG.

Ms Namaganda said: “The purpose of the campaign is to promote good business managing practices of women across the country.”

Mr Leslie Mutumba from the UIA encouraged the women to submit their business proposals either as a group or at individual level, adding that the best three winners will share Shs30m to boost their businesses.

Ms Christine Gire, who deals in crafts on Main Street in Jinja City, said the two-day training has widened her knowledge on how to deal with suppliers who give her items for sale and method of paying them.

She said: “I was not recording what I bought, when and at what price it was sold; but through this training I will be able to know good customer care relations. Sometimes people don’t buy things from a particular shop because of poor communication skills.”

Ms Aisha Nakatudde, one of the participants, said she has learnt that for one to establish business, he or she should first carry out a survey on what they are going to invest in, the environment, community and the culture of the people in the area.