Power For Ugandan Women Entrepreneurs
The POWER (Providing Opportunities for Women in Entrepreneurship and Reproductive Health) began in 2022 as a pilot project and joint initiative funded by Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) and led by Action 4 Health Uganda (A4HU) for women entrepreneurs and business leaders addressing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Family Planning (FP) challenges in Uganda. Other partners have since come on board to scale up the program to more cohorts of young women in health innovators.
The POWER project started in 2022 with a nine-month pilot that provided capacity development and mentoring for twelve women entrepreneurs aged 18-30 to develop sustainable businesses in SRHR/FP.
The Pilot project, which commenced in June 2022 and ended in February 2023, was scaled up for the second cohort of 20 young women entrepreneurs in September 2024. Of these, 15 graduated. In March 2025, a third cohort was welcomed onto the accelerator program in partnership with Makerere University School of Public Health and through the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI)-funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). This Cohort of ten (10) young women innovators graduated on 21st May 2025. A new cohort of 20 young women innovators was welcomed in August 2025 with funding from The Waterloo Foundation.
The women entrepreneurs are linked to a mentorship program, an alumni network created by the first cohort, local business networks, academic institutions, the public sector, and international networks to ensure access to ongoing information and services to help expand their enterprises.
The 2018 Mastercard Index of Women’s Entrepreneurship showed that Ugandan women are the third most enterprising globally, behind Ghana and Russia. Through POWER, we aim to capture the passion and drive of these young women to create sustainable business models while addressing SRHR challenges. This Accelerator project will transform the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) landscape in Uganda and provide innovative ways to tackle poverty among the youth.
The POWER pilot’s success has enabled the establishment of an Incubation Hub at The Bonita Training Center, located at our head offices on Lubowa Hill, off the Kampala-Entebbe Highway. These women-led FP/SRHR business start-ups will be developed and launched at this hub. The women entrepreneurs work towards a “Demo Day” to pitch their ideas to a broad audience of influencers to attract public interest, new investors, and partners. At the end of the program, the participants are awarded certificates, with the five top enterprises receiving a monetary prize to accelerate their businesses. After the young women complete the program, they receive continued mentorship, coaching, and business development support from A4HU, with an opportunity to join the Alumni network and benefit from the POWER Investment Facility (PIF) to access Investment financing for their startups. Outstanding entrepreneurs are assessed for certification as business coaches and mentors to join A4HU to mentor and coach other women and youth in business.
- POWER Technical-Brief-8-8-2024
- POWER Technical Brief Phase 1
- POWER Pitch DECK Fundraising Final
- 1. POWER Project Narrative report June 2022 to Feb 2023_FINAL
- NEW POWER ACCELERATOR STRATEGY AND OPERATIONAL PLAN FOR UGANDA
- Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung Annual report for Uganda 2023
- POWER Demo Day_Booklet
