Judith Nabayunga opened G’s Cafe & Restaurant in Kampala in 2013At a glance: Judith Nabayunga’s business journey reflects the challenge facing many women-owned enterprises in Uganda: finding not only capital, but the right advisory, financial literacy and market support to grow sustainably.When Judith Nabayunga opened G’s Cafe & Restaurant in Kampala in 2013, she had one table, four chairs and more customers than the small space could comfortably accommodate.Demand arrived quickly. Customers often waited for seats to become available, and within 18 months the restaurant had expanded to four tables and sixteen chairs. The growth confirmed there was a market for what she was offering. The challenge was finding the capital needed to keep pace with it.Before becoming an entrepreneur, Judith had worked as a waitress in several restaurants, learning the hospitality business through experience. She understood customer service, kitchen operations and the importance of consistency. What she lacked was access to the financing needed to expand a growing business.In 2015, dfcu opened a branch at Aponye Mall, becoming a neighbour to G’s Cafe & Restaurant. Judith opened an account at the bank, largely as a practical business decision. Soon afterwards, the then Branch Manager approached her about financing opportunities that could help expand the business.“I honestly hesitated because I wasn’t sure whether I could manage a loan,” she recalls.Her hesitation reflected a reality familiar to many business owners. Although Uganda is recognised as one of Africa’s most entrepreneurial economies, access to affordable finance remains one of the biggest barriers to business growth, particularly for women-owned enterprises. More than 40 per cent of businesses in Uganda are owned by women, yet many still struggle to secure the capital required to move from survival to scale.With encouragement and guidance from the dfcu team, Judith eventually took her first step into formal business financing. She invested in the restaurant, strengthened operations and successfully repaid the facility within the agreed period.That repayment history opened the door to additional support. A subsequent financing facility enabled her to acquire modern restaurant equipment, including commercial fryers and coffee machines, helping improve efficiency and expand the restaurant’s capacity to serve customers.For a growing hospitality business, the impact was significant. Better equipment meant faster service, greater consistency and the ability to handle larger volumes without compromising quality.Like many businesses in Uganda’s hospitality sector, G’s Cafe & Restaurant faced severe disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and movement restrictions brought activity to a standstill, threatening years of investment and growth.Rather than struggle alone, Judith approached dfcu to discuss the challenges facing the business.“I spoke to dfcu about the challenges we were facing during COVID-19. They understood the situation and gave me additional time to service my loan as the economy gradually reopened,” she says.The flexibility provided the breathing room the business needed to recover as economic activity resumed.As operations stabilised, Judith began planning for expansion again. She later became a beneficiary of the GROW Loan programme through dfcu, securing financing that enabled her to open a second branch, acquire additional commercial equipment and invest in infrastructure that strengthened day-to-day operations.Judith Nabayunga credits G’s Cafe growth to dfcu supportThe investment became the foundation for further expansion, helping transform G’s Cafe & Restaurant from a single-location cafe into a growing hospitality enterprise serving customers across multiple locations.The GROW Project, formally known as Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises, is a Government of Uganda initiative funded by the World Bank and implemented through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda. The programme was established to increase access to finance and entrepreneurial support services for women-owned businesses across the country. dfcu is one of the partner financial institutions implementing the programme.For Judith, however, the financing tells only part of the story.She points to business mentorship, financial literacy and continuous guidance from dfcu as equally important contributors to the company’s growth.“Before receiving financing, dfcu first equips us with financial literacy. They mentor us and advise us on how to grow the business sustainably. This guidance has helped strengthen the business’s financial discipline, improve planning and support informed investment decisions,” she says.That philosophy mirrors dfcu‘s broader approach to supporting women entrepreneurs. Through its Women in Business programme, launched in 2007, the bank has supported more than 80,000 women entrepreneurs through a combination of financial solutions, business training, mentorship and networking opportunities. The bank’s participation in initiatives such as Rising Woman, Advancing Women Entrepreneurs and the GROW Project reflects a long-standing focus on helping women-owned businesses move beyond start-up stage and into sustainable growth.The relationship between Judith and dfcu has extended beyond banking. For more than a decade, G’s Cafe & Restaurant has provided catering services for dfcu corporate events, creating an additional stream of revenue while exposing the business to a broader corporate clientele.Judith’s experience reflects a wider shift underway in Uganda’s entrepreneurial landscape. Increasingly, conversations around women in business are moving beyond access and towards scale; how to help promising enterprises invest, formalise, create jobs and compete in larger markets. That shift is also shaping programmes such as GROW, which seek to give women entrepreneurs access not only to capital, but to the skills, networks and support required for long-term success.Today, customers see a thriving restaurant business. What they may not see is a journey that started with a single table, a handful of chairs and a former waitress determined to build something of her own.More than a decade later, G’s Cafe & Restaurant continues to grow. Judith’s ambition now is to establish a permanent home for the business and continue expanding the brand she has spent years building.For an entrepreneur who began with four chairs and a small space in Kampala, it is the latest chapter in a business story still being written.The post From 4 Chairs to Full House: How dfcu Helped Nabayunga Grow G’s Cafe into a Hospitality Hotspot appeared first on Business Focus.