22/05/2026
How can policy and support programs better respond to the realities micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs) face on the ground?
Patrick Joram Mugisha addresses this question during a podcast conversation with Jeanne Nganga of MSC (MicroSave Consulting). Patrick serves as Commissioner for Business Development and Quality Assurance at Uganda’s Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives.
“If the design phase of policies and support programs for MSMEs is not done right, then you cannot expect successful results later on,” he observes.
The discussion examines structural realities that continue to affect small businesses in Uganda. These include informality, financing gaps, and support systems that fail to reflect how MSMEs operate.
The discussion also draws insights from the Resilience and Survivability Survey II by the Mastercard Foundation MSE Recovery Fund. The Fund is implemented by FSD Uganda in collaboration with MSC, Asigma, and gnuGrid. It highlights why evidence, collaboration, and practical policy design matter.
Listen to the discussion for insights: https://youtu.be/WZ-Arfnf764
Financial Sector Deepening Uganda Mastercard Foundation GnuGrid CRB
22/05/2026
How can digital and cooperative finance systems work for everyone, including women and persons with disabilities?
Join MSC (MicroSave Consulting), Opportunity International Australia, and KSP MITRA DHUAFA (KOMIDA), on our upcoming webinar that inaugurates the launch of DFAT–ANCP-funded Inclusive Finance Resources.
Date: 10th June 2026
Time: 09:10 a.m.–10:30 a.m. WIB or 12:10 p.m.–2:30 p.m. AEST
Place: Online (Zoom) with Bahasa Indonesia interpretation available
This session will bring together perspectives from government, financial sector practitioners, organizations of persons with disabilities, and development partners.
It will also highlight:
• GEDSI tools for inclusive finance implementation;
• KOMIDA’s animated disability etiquette resource;
• Practical insights from inclusive digital finance initiatives in Indonesia.
Register at https://lnkd.in/gvdm-AKT to discuss how we can advance inclusive financial systems as the norm.
Opportunity International Australia l FinDev Gateway l
21/05/2026
What helps micro and small enterprises (MSEs) grow after they receive financing?
This is among many questions that the Resilience and Survivability Survey II sought to answer. While access to credit may help businesses stabilize, it does not always translate into growth, hiring, or expansion. The study also revealed that business development support is vital for enterprise growth.
The study is part of the Mastercard Foundation MSE Recovery Fund. FSD Uganda leads the initiative in collaboration with MSC (MicroSave Consulting), Asigma, and gnuGrid.
In this podcast, Noah Owomugisha of aBi Finance and Cindy Wabunoha of MSC discuss why access to credit may stabilize businesses.
The discussion shifts the focus beyond financing itself to business development support. Noah and Cindy examine the systems, structures, reporting, and practical support that help enterprises use finance effectively.
The discussion captured the point that “Money is just one pillar. The others reside within the business.”
Listen to the podcast here: https://youtu.be/6-DFv25o4uw
21/05/2026
Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Uganda already show resilience. They continue to survive shocks, adapt quickly, and sustain operations through difficult periods. The key question is what helps them move beyond survival and achieve sustained growth.
Issa Sekitto, Chairman of the Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA), and Lois Eva Adongo of MSC (MicroSave Consulting) discuss these barriers that continue to limit business growth for traders and small enterprises.
The discussion builds on insights from the Resilience and Survivability Survey II under the Mastercard Foundationrcard Foundation MSE Recovery Fund. Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Uganda implemented the survey in collaboration with MSC, Asigma, and gnuGrid.
The session highlights the realities traders face every day and why many businesses remain informal. It also examines how trust shapes access to resilience funds, and why financing models fail when they do not reflect how businesses operate.
Listen to the full podcast: https://youtu.be/mnmkljR3pGI
21/05/2026
What separates a business that survives from one that grows?
The Resilience and Survivability Report 2025 answers this question by tracking more than 107,000 micro and small enterprises (MSEs) across Uganda for two years.
The study is part of the MSE Recovery Fund, implemented by Financial Sector Deepening Uganda (FSD Uganda) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and in collaboration with MSC (MicroSave Consulting), Asigma, and gnuGrid.
Three factors consistently stood out in the research:
1. Income stream diversification;
2. Digital tool adoption;
3. Flexible financing accessibility.
The barriers are still significant. High interest rates, collateral requirements, and limited digital skills remain the biggest challenge to the growth of MSEs, especially for women- and youth-led businesses.
The study moves beyond COVID-19 recovery to examine what helps businesses stabilize, adapt, and grow over time.
Read the full report here: https://www.microsave.net/2026/05/20/how-have-ugandas-micro-and-small-enterprises-recovered-adapted-and-grown-after-covid-19/
18/05/2026
On 14th May, MSC (MicroSave Consulting) and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) signed a vital memorandum of understanding. This marked the beginning of a partnership to strengthen private sector-led solutions for inclusive and sustainable growth.
The collaboration brings together MSC’s technical expertise and KEPSA’s proven ability to convene the private sector. Together, we will create an opportunity to work more closely with businesses and industry actors on practical, market-driven initiatives that respond to Kenya’s evolving economic priorities.
Areas of collaboration include climate action, circular economy, agriculture and food systems, banking, trade, technology, health, energy transition, blue economy, lands and housing, and evidence-based impact.
Beyond the signing, the partnership will offer a platform for continued engagement, knowledge exchange, and joint development of initiatives to unlock opportunities for businesses, communities, and the wider economy.
We look forward to the journey ahead with KEPSA and its members.
18/05/2026
How can inclusion work if it leaves people out?
As digital finance continues to expand, many systems continue to fail to serve people with disabilities, not intentionally, but by design. Barriers in accessibility, usability, and system design continue to limit meaningful financial inclusion.
MicroSave Consulting’s latest blog highlights these challenges and the long road toward truly inclusive financial systems. Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/gQ62Qe8s
This is the conversation we will have in our upcoming webinar. It will bring together perspectives on ways to move inclusive finance beyond awareness into practical, real-world implementation.
Register here: https://lnkd.in/gT8YPfpa
Opportunity International Australia l Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade l Australian Council for International Development (ACFID)
14/05/2026
Green-collar jobs are emerging in practical ways across Kenya.
Millicent Sedi, our Senior Manager for Agriculture and Food Systems, highlighted this point on KBC’s Good Morning Kenya this week. She challenged the idea that Kenya’s green transition is a distant policy discussion in boardrooms. Instead, she emphasized that the transition happens now on farms, in markets, and across supply chains.
Cold storage facilities help reduce the nearly KES 70 billion in losses from post-harvest waste every year. Digital tools give farmers real-time weather updates and market information. Mobile money histories help smallholder farmers build financial identities and access credit.
The gaps are hard to ignore. Only 10% of young Kenyans enter into agriculture, while just 3% of formal lending reaches the sector. Millions of farmers are still heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, even as weather patterns become more unpredictable.
The opportunity exists, and the sector needs the right ecosystem around farmers and agribusinesses. This includes financing that understands agriculture, as well as digital infrastructure that is strong and accessible. It also requires supportive policy and young people who see agriculture as a business, a technological arena, and a source of future jobs.
Tune in for a full conversation: https://lnkd.in/gnqDGnzd
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
18/05/2026
18/05/2026
14/05/2026