One of Lambert’s staff removes freshly baked loaves from the baking pan at Hallelujah Bakery
Economic inclusion is still limited for refugees in their host communities, which poses a challenge to their livelihood, of which Uganda is no exception, which hosts over 1.7 million refugees, the largest population in Africa and the 6th largest globally.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), approximately 75% of refugees live in poverty while 70% legally have the right to work either partially or fully; only 50% have formal employment in practice.
In collaboration with Swiss Contact Uganda under the EcoProsperity project, the Agro-Tourism Association (ATA) aims at promoting economic inclusion for over 400 start-up agribusinesses. Of these, we are targeting young mothers and youth entrepreneurs in districts of Kagadi, Mitooma, Kyenjojo, Kyegegwa, and Buhweju.
These startups’ growth is mainly hindered by limited access to finance, lack of necessary equipment, limited access to market information, and lack of technical business knowledge to undergo agribusiness incubation with the Agro-Tourism Association so they can unlock their business growth potential.
Among the startups being supported are Congolese refugees in Kyaka Refugee Settlement and the host communities. Lambert Muhiwa a refugee youth entrepreneur from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the young entrepreneurs being supported in this programme. “At Hallelujah Bakery I produce bakery products with over 2.5 tonnes of wheat monthly. Currently, I directly employ 5 staff, whereby 2 are young females and 3 are male youths at the bakery,” he reveals.
He adds, “I have gained skills in business planning especially customer segmentation, quality product production principles and practices, among others. This is enabling me have to ensure that I produce quality products on the market. I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge in areas like branding and more. The support from ATA has given me hope to grow my business and create a brighter future for my family and the community.”
As a start-up, Lambert’s bakery is grappling with high rental costs, lacks necessary equipment used in baking and is also faced with high costs of bakery products.
He seeks potential partnership to further invest in his business, which is not only addressing economic hurdles by curbing unemployment in the refugee settlement but also improving livelihoods.
Left, Joseph Taremwa, CEO, Agro-Tourism Association (ATA), Lambert Mwiha, Owner of Hallelujah Bakery, and other staff from ATA in a group photo inside Lambert’s bakery holding some of the products produced by the bakery
The Chief Executive Officer of the Agro-tourism Association, Joseph Taremwa, reveals that there are more initiatives that are underway to support Lambert.
“Startups face challenges like documentation, whereby there are no records about their businesses, which affects their growth. For instance, Lambert has not kept his business records and has no business plans since he established his bakery in 2022, and this is one of the components we want to address through our incubation program supported by Swiss Contact Uganda. Together with many other young entrepreneurs, he is undergoing our incubation program to support him with soft skills such as business planning and record keeping, to mention but a few. Later on, we’ll be able to support them to access funding for their businesses,” says Taremwa.
Some of the various tastier bakery products produced by Halellujah Balery
We are looking forward to supporting him in acquiring means of transportation for his products and also formally registering his bakery as a separate legal entity. During the visit, Joseph commended Muhiwa for training his wife and children in that they are also involved in daily business activities such as packing.
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