Every two years, the WOMED Award South is given to a female entrepreneur in Uganda. It is organised by Markant, a Belgian network organisation, and Tries, a Belgian development company with a reach across 14 countries.
Trias in Uganda hosted the WOMED Award South this year. This award celebrates the accomplishments and possibilities of female entrepreneurs in order to increase their business exposure, experience and confidence.
Trias collaborates with local membership organisations to improve the services they provide to agricultural and non-agricultural enterprises in Uganda. Two such organisations are the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association (USSIA) and the Ugandan National Apiculture Organisation (TUNADO).
Out of the 67 contestants that participated, the judges picked three finalists: Sandra Ejang of Western Silk Road, Joy Mary Lwanga of Shalom organic farm and Doreen Nsasiirwe of Kisoro Pure Honey.
The ultimate winner of the WOMED Award South 2022 was Doreen Nsasiirwe. At the ceremony, it was revealed that the Belgian government had set aside a UGX 800 million (€200 000) fund for women who own small and medium businesses in Uganda.
According to the 2020 Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE), Uganda (39.6%), Botswana (38.5%) and Ghana (36.5%) have the highest percentage of women company owners in the world.
The report also highlights the Covid-19 pandemic’s disproportionate impact on women entrepreneurs around the world, with 87% reporting that they have been negatively impacted. Women have been particularly vulnerable due to overrepresentation in sectors hardest hit by the economic downturn, the pronounced digital gender gap in an increasingly virtual environment, and the expanding strains of childcare obligations, to name a few causes.
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