AMI partners with Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) to develop standards for strengthening SME support ecosystem

Kampala, Uganda – The African Management Institute (AMI), a leader in business growth and training across Africa, has launched a partnership with the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) to develop national Standards to strengthen Uganda’s small business support ecosystem.

AMI has been working with local ecosystem experts to develop a series of Business Development Support (BDS) Standards aimed at improving the quality of support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Uganda. AMI will also train 200 Ugandan business development service providers in the implementation of the Standards in 2023.

This effort, which will complement the National BDS Framework developed by Enterprise Uganda and is funded by the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works project, will help improve support for MSMEs, which are critical for economic growth and job creation.

“Provision of quality BDS services is crucial to ensure that Uganda’s entrepreneurs survive and thrive. Currently, the Ugandan BDS landscape is fragmented and uncoordinated, with many BDS providers lacking the skills or finances to adequately support entrepreneurs,” said Mr. Francis Kisirinya PSFU’s Chief Membership Officer.

“AMI’s track record in delivering business and management training across the continent is unparalleled and this 18-month project aims to significantly impact the success of entrepreneurs by laying the groundwork for ecosystem-level change.”

AMI and PSFU held BDS Standard Technical Working Group meetings at Mestil Hotel & Residences in June and November. The group consists of key representatives from 15 government, private and public sector organisations. The Technical Working Group’s mandate is to provide strategic advice to AMI’s standards drafting team before submission to the Uganda National Bureau of Standards for gazetting.

Rebecca Harrison, CEO and co-founder of AMI says the organisation will leverage its continental expertise in delivering evidence-based business growth programmes to contribute to improving BDS delivery in Uganda.

“AMI’s Africa-built and Africa-focused business growth model, as well as our experience in delivering training to over 42,000 individuals in 39 countries across the continent, positions AMI as an ideal partner for this work,” said Harrison who joined the Technical Working Group’s meetings in person. “Moreover, AMI’s local presence and collaborative approach will enable us to incorporate the local context when implementing the work.”

Members of the Uganda BDS Standards Technical Working Group gather during the first meeting in June 2022.

In addition to supporting the Technical Working Group’s efforts to improve the BDS Standards, AMI will train 200 BDS providers to address supply challenges, particularly for specialized areas, sectors, and industries.

The Technical Working Group working on the BDS Standards includes representatives of key Ministries including Ministry of Trade and Cooperatives, Ministry of Finance Planning & Economic Development, MDA, BDS providers and consumers as well as development partners, including Mastercard Foundation.

Additional stakeholder engagement is being undertaken with the aim to leverage the standards as an inclusive, ecosystem-building tool.

Enterprise Uganda and the Makerere University Business School (MUBS) were elected as the Chair and Vice Chair of the Technical Working Group, respectively.

For information about AMI please contact: info@africanmanage1.wpenginepowered.com

For information about PSFU, contact: Nkoba Lorraine on email: lnkoba@psfuganda.org.ug