HOIMA CITY, February 13, 2026 — The leadership of Ankole Diocese has partnered with Bunyoro Kitara Diocese [BKD] to establish a branch of Ankole Diocese Millennium SACCO Limited in the latter diocese.
On Thursday, the Bishop of Ankole Diocese, Rt. Rev. Sheldon Mwesigwa, led a team of SACCO leaders to BKD, where they held an engagement meeting to discuss the modalities for opening a branch in the diocese.
The meeting, held at All Saints’ City Church in Hoima City, was attended by church leaders, including reverends, heads of laity and lay leaders. They were led by the Bishop of BKD, Rt Rev Jacob Ateirweho.
Speaking at the meeting, Mwesigwa noted that Millennium SACCO was established to support local people who are unable to access financial assistance from commercial banks due to high interest rates.
He added that all the requirements for setting up the SACCO branch in Hoima City, including identifying premises to house the offices, had been finalised. The SACCO is expected to open officially within the next month.
Mwesigwa emphasised that Ankole Diocese Millennium SACCO does not consider one’s religious affiliation, but instead focuses on promoting financial inclusion and empowering people to transition from poverty to participation in the money economy.
He said the diocese looks forward to partnering with other dioceses such as BKD to expand branches of the SACCO, enabling Christians to access financial support, receive training in financial management and grow their businesses.
He explained that the SACCO allows interested individuals to buy shares, save and borrow, with the aim of empowering those who may lack the capacity to engage with formal financial institutions such as banks.
“It is important for us as a Church to see how we can improve the lives of our people. A SACCO is beneficial because it encourages saving. In my experience, I have been able to save through borrowing. I began taking loans from Stanbic Bank and Centenary Bank in 1990 when I started working as a teacher. I would take a loan to buy land and then repay it from my modest salary. For me, that was a form of saving, and as a result I was able to achieve things I would not otherwise have managed as a teacher at that time,” he said.
On his part, the Bishop of BKD Rt. Rev. Bishop Ateirweho commended Bishop Mwesigwa for the initiative, describing the opening of a branch in the diocese as a significant opportunity for many Christians engaged in coffee, maize and cocoa growing, as well as other businesses, who often struggle to access financial support to expand their ventures.
Ateirweho urged Christians to embrace a culture of saving as a means of fostering socio-economic development. Bishop Ateirweho stressed the need for the Christian community, particularly women and young people, to adopt saving habits, noting that consistent saving would enable them to invest for the future.
“We are going to mobilise our Christians, church leaders and farmers in the diocese to join and save with this SACCO. Through saving, they will be able to access loans at lower interest rates to grow their businesses,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the SACCO, Fred Muhumuza, said Bunyoro has significant potential arising from oil and gas development, but many local people are not adequately prepared to benefit.
“People of Bunyoro are sitting on oil, which we call black gold. However, sitting on it and benefiting from it are two different things. Many people from outside Bunyoro are coming to establish businesses, while local people are being left behind because they are not prepared. This is the time to prepare by gaining knowledge in business and financial management. We are opening a SACCO here, and you need to join, buy shares and save. Through saving, you will be able to invest and benefit from the oil,” he said.
According to Muhumuza, the SACCO offers agricultural loans at an interest rate of 2 percent to coffee, cotton, maize and sugarcane farmers, while loans for women and young people are offered at an interest rate of 1.5 per cent.
Ankole Diocese Millennium SACCO currently has more than 37,000 members.
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