Nile Breweries partners with NSSF, MTN MoMo to train over 300 retailers in financial literacy

GULU CITY, July 7, 2026 — Beer brewer Nile Breweries Limited [NBL] has trained more than 300 retailers, mainly bar owners and stockists, in Gulu City on financial literacy as part of its Growing Retailers Innovatively Together [GRIT] programme.

The company, which previously reached 1,560 retailers in Kampala, Hoima, Mbarara and Jinja in 2024 and 2025, said this is the first time it has extended the training to retailers in Gulu City.

NBL has partnered with the National Social Security Fund [NSSF] and MTN MoMo to equip retailers with the knowledge and skills needed to run successful businesses.

The retailers, who gathered at Bomah Hotel in Gulu City recently, received training in financial management, stock control, sales and marketing, responsible retailing, digital adoption, long-term business planning and the dangers of illicit alcohol.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the training, Emmanuel Njuki, Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs at NBL, said the company is committed to the success of its retailers, noting that many businesses in Uganda fail to survive beyond their fifth anniversary.

“The reason we are doing this is because these are key stakeholders in our communities and in our value chain. As Nile Breweries, we don’t meet the consumer directly. We go through a distribution system. Distributors move to stockists, and then they also supply to the bar owners, who are the retailers. So, we are interested in their success because their success means our success,” Njuki said.

Njuki said the partnership with NSSF is intended to encourage retailers to save for their future.

“We know that while Uganda is ranked globally as one of the countries with the largest number of businesses, many of those businesses don’t survive beyond their fifth anniversary. But what happens to the people who started those businesses? What about those who were employed by them? It is important that, even as we grow businesses, we also encourage people to save for the future,” he said.

He added that employees working in bars should also save with NSSF so that they have financial security, whether to start a business of their own or to support themselves during periods of unemployment.

Njuki said the partnership with MTN MoMo is aimed at promoting the digitisation of businesses.

“Many times, you want to manage your money effectively. If customers pay using MTN MoMo, it becomes much easier to track your income. You are also able to make payments digitally,” he said.

Pamela Turyatemba, Manager for Enterprise and Growth at NSSF, encouraged bar owners and stockists to embrace SmartLife Flexi, a savings product that enables any Ugandan to save from as little as Shs500 towards a specific goal.

“You save with a goal in mind, whether it is to buy land, purchase a car or go on holiday. SmartLife Flexi enables you to plan ahead while earning attractive returns. We offer interest of between 11 and 14 per cent. Last year, members earned 13.5 per cent, and we project another competitive interest rate this year,” she said.

The retailers were also trained on how to identify and avoid illicit alcohol, which accounts for an estimated 65 per cent of spirits sold in bars.

“While research has shown that there is little risk of counterfeit or illicit alcohol in the beer category, there is a significant problem in the spirits category,” Njuki said.

He added:

“We want to ensure that those who serve consumers understand this reality and appreciate the responsibility they have as bar owners or servers. Where do you source your alcohol? Have you verified that it has been certified by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards? Have the appropriate taxes been paid? If not, then you are not contributing to your community.”

Lucy Lamunu, a bar owner along Gulu Airfield road is among retailers who attended the training. She said she looks forward to growing her business and protecting her customers from illicit alcohol.

According to the Uganda National Bureau of Standards [UNBS], illicit alcohol—particularly cheap artisanal waragi and counterfeit spirits—remains a major public health and economic challenge in Northern Uganda.

Although illicit alcohol was previously sold mainly in sachets, it is now commonly packaged in plastic bottles following a 2017 Cabinet directive banning the sale and consumption of alcohol in sachets and in containers smaller than 200 millilitres.

https://thecooperator.news/nile-breweries-rewards-rwenzori-farmers-for-role-in-barley-supply-chain/

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