More than 50 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from Kampala Metropolitan, Busoga and West Nile have completed a three-day business growth bootcamp aimed at strengthening Uganda’s green economy and expanding employment opportunities for young people.The enterprises participated in the Good Green Business Accelerator, implemented under the WeWork — Green and Decent Jobs for Youth project by SHONA Group in partnership with Enabel and the Government of Uganda.The project is funded by the European Union and the Kingdom of Belgium.The participating businesses were selected from hundreds of applicants operating in sectors linked to Uganda’s emerging green and circular economy, including renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, smart irrigation, sustainable fashion, eco-tourism, waste management, green construction, manufacturing and digital green marketplaces.The programme is designed to help businesses move beyond early-stage operations and develop the systems, skills and financial readiness needed to scale.Uganda’s SMEs remain central to private-sector activity, but many businesses in the green economy continue to face challenges ranging from limited access to finance and inadequate business management skills to high collateral requirements and difficulties in finding suitable workers.The WeWork project is responding to these challenges through a model that combines business training, access to finance and talent development.Regina Bamugye, Project Manager at SHONA Group, said the programme wants participating entrepreneurs to make sustainability an intentional part of their business models.“Our objective is to move entrepreneurs from being green by accident to being green by design,” Bamugye said.She said the programme is focused on strengthening business acumen and helping entrepreneurs operationalise green and circular value chains so that they can grow, access affordable capital and create sustainable jobs for young Ugandans.Entrepreneurs Develop Growth PlansThe three-day bootcamps focused on practical business development and provided participating founders with tools and strategies to address operational and growth challenges.Aminata Najjingo, founder of Amylia Fashions, said the programme had given her new perspectives, practical tools and networks that she intends to use in expanding her business.Najjingo said she also developed a three-year growth plan during the programme.“I’m leaving with so much to take home, greater clarity, practical tools, new perspectives, and meaningful networks built with an incredible group of fellow entrepreneurs,” she said.She added that she was looking forward to putting her growth plan into action using the knowledge gained during the programme.Grants and Continued SupportThe completion of the bootcamps will be followed by further support for selected businesses.The enterprises will receive ongoing advisory services and additional capacity building to strengthen their operations and improve their readiness to access financing.Eligible businesses will also be supported through catalytic matching grants, which are intended to facilitate investment and business expansion.Another component of the programme is the talent matching grant, which will subsidise 50 percent of the wages of newly recruited young workers for a period of up to six months.The intervention is intended to help businesses overcome the cost of hiring as they expand while creating opportunities for young people to gain employment and experience.The organisers say the broader objective is to build a stronger ecosystem of competitive, investment-ready green enterprises that can contribute to job creation, resource efficiency and reduced environmental impact.With the participating businesses spread across several regions and sectors, the programme is seeking to demonstrate how private enterprises can combine commercial growth with environmental sustainability and youth employment.The post Over 50 SMEs Complete Green Business Bootcamps as Uganda Pushes for Youth Jobs appeared first on The Insider.