Equity Bank Equips Lira businesswomen with Financial Literacy

BY AMBROSE OGWANG

LIRA -UGANDA ; Over 400 Businesswomen in Lira City on Tuesday underwent business and financial literacy training organized by the Equity Bank.

The one day seminar convened at ST. Lira Hotel in Lira City, was organized by the bank to celebrate, appreciate and give back to the women in Lango region who are engaged small-scale businesses both in the Centre of the town and outskirts the city.

The women were trained in business management skills, saving and banking as well as digital marketing among other areas.

The dedicated Equity Bank officials both from the headquarters in Kampala, the region and Lira branch also took the Businesswomen through a wide range services offered, procedure through which they can acquire loans as individuals and group to empower them financial.

Speaking as a keynote addresser at the seminar, Judith Abal, the Associate Professor, and dean of faculty of management Sciences at of Lira University, educated the women entrepreneurs on how to balance their business with family obligations.

She observed that women should be educated with landownership so they are also able to own lands besides the business opportunities.

Lillian Apio Ocare, said the government has offered enabling environment and put in place favorable laws that allow the intergovernmental cross border trade, urging women take advantage of these to progress.

According to Ocare who is also the deputy Town Clerk of Lira city, because of lack of exposure, low level of education and lack of financial literacy, many women often fail to progress in business, something she said can be dealt with by the banking institution training women in savings, financial management so they are productive.

Christine Anono, the Lira district Community Development Officer, was among the successful inspirational women brought by the Equity bank to share their experience to motive the women.

The bank also used this ceremony to awarded the successful women in various categories including Best Compliance customer in paying loans, Best Saver, and Caroline Adongo, as an inspirational woman who encouraged other women to grow in business

Peter Ssemakulu, the regional manager of Equity Bank, said they organized the seminar to celebrate the women in this month of March because they are pivotal in the home, businesses and the economic development.

He said the women they brought as those dealing in small-scale businesses and are being empowered by the Equity bank through bank loans.

“We believe if a woman is empowered, husband is empowered, children are empowered and that empowering them economically, we eradicate poverty. That is why we want to grow their businesses by extending the banking services to them,” Ssemakulu explained.

He urged women in the business sector to be focused, resilience, persistence but also not to work away from their partners (men).

The regional manager said they have introduced the Agent Banking model where people are served from their location and they don’t move distances to access banking services, imploring women to embrace this technology.

He encouraged women entrepreneurs to embrace saving in the banks for the safety of their money and accelerated growth. According to him, Equity bank through its different branches is committed to supporting not only the women but even men and other groups by training them financial literacy for free.