Najjera 2, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District – July 22, 2024 – Gudie Leisure Farm is excited to announce the upcoming Savings and Loans Associations Cottage Industry Conference, scheduled to take place on Monday, August 5, 2024. The conference will be held at Gudie Leisure Farm headquarters from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and will bring together 300 Youth Agripreneur Champions from various districts across Uganda.
About the Savings and Loans Associations
At the parish level, the business activities of Youth Agripreneur Champions are coordinated by the Parish Entrepreneurship Learning Associations (PELAs), which were established with support from Gudie Leisure Farm. PELAs play a crucial role in mobilizing and organizing youth into business groups to collaboratively meet market demands. They also provide valuable insights into the business environment, helping leaders and management teams make informed decisions.
The Parish Entrepreneurship Learning Associations (PELAs) is a Village Saving Loan Associations (VSLA). We have 873 PELAs with a net portfolio of 2.5 billion UGX. VSLAs continue to be the predominant sources of credit.
Ms. Florence Nampeera, a Board Member of Gudie Umbrella Fund, highlights that the Gudie Agribusiness Investment Club brings together all the PSLAs where they save and access credit at a rate of 0.5% per month. This initiative addresses the challenge of limited access to substantial capital and aims to reduce interest rates. The Umbrella Fund currently boasts 1 billion UGX.
Mr. Tualib Onzima, the District PELA chairperson for Arua district, praises the PELA Savings and Loan Associations for enabling the youth to embrace a savings culture. This has unlocked immediate access to funding, enabling youth who save to earn, fostering cohesion among them.
Conference Objectives and Target Participants
The PELA Savings and Loans Associations Cottage Industry Conference aims to address the gaps and weaknesses in the PSLAs by equipping Youth Agripreneur Champions with the skills needed to transform their PSLAs into strong and sustainable institutions.
Event Details:
- Date: Monday, August 5, 2024
- Time: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Venue: Gudie Leisure Farm headquarters, Najjera 2, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District
- Participants: 300 Youth Agripreneur Champions from various districts
Objectives of the Conference:
- Exposure to Development Opportunities: Introduce young people in PSLAs to opportunities they can leverage for growth.
- Skill Development: Equip young people in PSLAs with technical and business skills to build profitable and competitive financial facilities.
- Collaboration Platforms: Establish platforms for building strong collaborations with development stakeholders.
Target Participants:
- Members of youth-owned savings and loans associations
- BDS providers supporting youth-owned savings and loans associations
- Government institutions, development partners, and NGOs promoting youth-owned savings and loans associations
Conference Content
The discussions will focus on the dynamics of the business environment at both local and international levels that affect savings and credit facilities, strategies for exploiting opportunities, and mitigating threats to growth and sustainability. The session will highlight government and development partner initiatives supporting community savings and credit groups. Youth Agripreneur Champions will learn best practices to enhance productivity, profitability, and competitiveness and strategies for resource mobilization.
About Gudie Leisure Farm
R&G Investments Limited, trading as Gudie Leisure Farm (GLF), is a social enterprise established in 2009. It provides technical and business training to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the white meat value chain. With a network of 388,513 youth (55% women) Youth Agripreneur Champions across Uganda in 873 parishes in 33 districts, including Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso, Lwengo, Kyotera, Masaka, Kiryandongo, Luweero, Dokolo, Moroto, Arua, Adjumani, Amolatar, Nwoya, Soroti, Jinja, Namisindwa, Tororo, Hoima, Mbarara, Isingiro, Kabale, Kisoro, Kikuube, Kabarole, Kamwenge, Kassanda, Madi-Okollo, Rubanda, and Rakai, and operates in 6 refugee settlements – Kampala, Rwamwanja, Kiryandongo, Maaji, Nakivale, Rhino Camp – Madi-Okollo, and Kyangwali, Kikuube.
Gudie Leisure Farm is committed to promoting sustainable agribusiness and providing a unique set of agribusiness development support services to MSEs in the agricultural sector, particularly in the white meat industry and related value chains. Our participating youth are value chain linked and embrace production by the masses to supply the larger markets through five major industries: Feed Mill, Animal, Bistro Franchise, Nutraceuticals, and Services.
Join us in empowering youth agripreneurs for a sustainable future at the PELA Savings and Loans Associations Cottage Industry Conference.
Media Contacts
Prof. Gudula Naiga Basaza – Managing Director, Gudie Leisure Farm – 0772-400865
Ms. Grace Nakato – CEO Gudie Edu-Agritourism, Gudie Leisure Farm: 0701-436-346