Stanbic Bank Uganda has launched a new financing model for savings and credit cooperative organizations to drive agricultural exports and formalize the coffee value chain.
The initiative, established in partnership with the Buganda Kingdom, centers on Ssemaduuka, a one-stop business hub unveiled Monday at the Mayors Gardens in Mubende Municipality. The program aims to transition farmer-owned cooperatives from subsistence production to commercial agribusiness by providing structured credit and direct links to international markets.
Tunde Thorpe, head of business and commercial banking at Stanbic Bank, described the model as ecosystem banking. Thorpe said the strategy allows the bank to finance the entire agricultural value chain, from initial inputs to final export, while strengthening cooperative governance and productivity.
The program is implemented through the Buganda Cultural and Development Foundation, which will identify and recommend qualifying cooperatives for banking support. Emmanuel Naigombe, head of agribusiness at Stanbic Bank, said the bank will assess these organizations before extending structured credit facilities.
To facilitate export flows, transactions will be digitized via the bank’s One Farm platform. This digital approach is designed to enable trade finance solutions and ensure produce is aggregated and linked to organized buyers.
Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa, the Buganda Kingdom second deputy premier and minister for finance, said the partnership is a transformative step toward modernizing agriculture. He noted that the initiative aligns with the kingdom’s vision of creating self-reliant households by moving them into sustainable agribusiness.
The new model specifically targets challenges faced by rural farmers, such as 57-year-old Frank Nyanzi, who has struggled with climate change and coffee wilt disease. Nyanzi said the lack of reliable, long-term financing has previously prevented investments in irrigation and quality inputs.
Stanbic Bank officials said the initiative also focuses on inclusive growth, noting that more than 70 percent of members in participating cooperatives are women. The launch comes as the bank approaches 35 years of operation in Uganda.
By aligning credit access with export markets, Stanbic and the Buganda Kingdom aim to turn coffee farming into a resilient, commercially viable enterprise that can withstand environmental and financial volatility.
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