A snapshot of Uganda business climate findings showing extent of mobile money use by small business enterprises
Joseph Mawejje and Paul Corti Lakuma, Research Analysts from the Economic Policy Research Centre held two business climate dissemination workshops in Northern and Eastern Uganda.
The workshops were held on 13th and 15th December 2016, in Gulu and Jinja districts to particularly provide a platform for identification and deliberation on the key policy challenges constraining private sector competitiveness in Uganda.
Among the publications shared during the workshops was, “Summery of Lessons Learned From the Four Years of Uganda Business Climate Surveys”, a special business climate issue published in July 2016.
The notable findings summarized in the special issue denote that Uganda’s business environment had gained some momentum in recent periods but is still vulnerable to domestic, regional and global shocks.
It also indicates that mobile money is driving financial inclusion especially among the micro and small enterprises. “Results indicate that the majority of businesses (68 percent) have adopted mobile money as a medium for effecting certain types of transactions with significant differences across business classifications,” the summery states.
According to Joseph Mawejje, the workshops provided a platform to disseminate the findings of the business climate studies in addition to fostering meaningful engagement alongside the private sector with a view of garnering closer working ties and mutually beneficial relationships.
Participants at the two workshops were drawn from local government, successful private sector players and district government departments that play a role in private sector development for example Uganda Revenue Authority.