Emyooga beneficiaries in Lira record success

LIRA – The Beneficiaries of the Presidential Initiative on Job and Wealth Creation [Emyooga Programme] in Lira City are reporting success since the programme was rolled out four years ago.

The Emyooga Programme was launched by President Yoweri Museveni as part of the broad government strategy targeting to transform 68 percent of homesteads in the country from subsistence to market-oriented production with the overall objective of promoting job creation and improving household incomes.

The programme supports different groups such as market vendors, welders, taxi drivers, carpenters, boda-boda riders, women entrepreneurs, journalists performing artists, and restaurant owners who come together in the form of Savings and Credit Cooperatives [SACCOs].

In 2021, government started disbursing a revolving seed capital of Shs 30 million seed capital to each of the SACCOs registered in the constituencies across Uganda.

When government launched Emyooga, Harriet Adoch, a salon operator in Lira City was running a struggling business but she would later apply for the Emyooga loan of Shs 2mln from her SACCO to boost the business.

“I borrowed Shs 2mln from Lira Salon Operators Emyooga SACCO to add on the Shs 1mln I had at hand. In two years, I have bought a plot of land, opened up two salons within the city and I am planning to construct a residential house very soon, “she said.

Robert Owiny, a member of Lira Tailors’ Emyooga SACCO hailed the programme as a major boost to his tailoring business which was ailing. Under his SACCO, Owiny applied for Shs 5mln which he used to buy new tools and has since started offering training for the youths.

“Right now I am training more than 100 youth in tailoring and each one of them is paying me Shs 700,000. The money from this business has helped me open up a bar and restaurant business, pay school fees and I am still hoping to do more, “he said.

Bernard Anyeko Masanga, the general secretary of Lira Taxi Operators’ Emyooga SACCO, says after receiving the Shs 30mln seed capital, the SACCO leaders were able to purchase a taxi after the members seconded it during the annual general meeting [AGM].

“The government gave us Shs 30mln cash in 2020. We convened the AGM and members made a resolution that we buy a taxi because we know more about the business of taxis. We bought a taxi at Shs 31mln,” he said.

“From the initial seed capital of Shs 30mln provided by the Microfinance Support Centre [MSC], the SACCO has grown a loan portfolio of Shs 72mln, “he said.

Lillian Grace Ocare, the deputy town clerk of Lira City who is in charge Emyooga Programme, says a number of Emyooga SACCOs in the city is positively changing the lives of the beneficiaries.

“As Lira City, we had 18 SACCOs registered and approved and each SACCO received Shs 30mln. Today we want to say that we have very big success stories. If you visit most of these SACCOs, you hear real testimonies of growth and hard work, “she said during an interview on Wednesday.

Lira City mayor, Sam Atul said the Shs 560mln seed capital meant for for Emyooga SACCOs has grown to over a billion shillings as the beneficiaries borrow and pay back.

However, he warned saboteurs of the programme that they would be dealt with, saying successes of the programme are the programme in the city have been recorded.

“It is so interesting that whereas people don’t want to talk about Emyooga, the programme has success stories. In Lira Municipality, for example, the seed capital of Shs 560mln has grown to over a billion shillings. Nobody talks about this but the saboteurs only prefer telling people that the programme is failing, which is not true,” he said.

The Emyooga Programme mirrors a wide range of other poverty alleviation programmes, among them, Entandikwa, Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture [PMA], Prosperity for All, Operation Wealth Creation [OWC], Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP) the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Program [UWEP] and the Parish Development Model [PDM] among others.

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