A total of 104 Emyooga Saccos from the Rwenzori region have received an additional 20 million shillings from the Micro Finance Support Centre under the presidential Initiative on Wealth and Job Creation popularly known as Emyooga.

The beneficiary Saccos are part of the 500 Saccos in the Rwenzori region that were all clustered under Kabarole zone. The Micro Finance Support Centre is currently sensitizing Sacco members from the region on how they can register their associations with the government.

The sensitization meeting for Saccos was held at the Youth Centre in Fort Portal City. The Microfinance Support Centre Kabarole Zonal Manager, Emmanuel Mbowa, said that the Saccos that received the new seed capital were picked based on their performance in using the first phase of the seed capital the centre gave them.

Joseph Rutaro from the ministry of trade, industry and cooperatives says the Saccos that performed well and have been picked for permanent registration can start the process and complete before 31st March.

The Presidential Initiative on Wealth and Job creation (Emyooga) was launched in August 2019 as part of the broad government strategy to transform 68% of households from subsistence to market-oriented production, with the overall objective of promoting job creation and improving household incomes.

The programme is intended to support 18 production and job categories including market vendors, welders, taxi drivers, carpenters, boda-boda riders, women, performing artistes and restaurant owners who come together to form Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies (SACCOs).