Female Future Uganda - Way Forward!

Five members of a technical committee from the Federation of Ugandan Employers (FUE) Women’s Chapter were in Norway for a one week study visit. The technical committee has been tasked by FUE to draw up a Female Future programme for Uganda.

NHO facilitated the delegation’s meetings with suppliers to the Female Future programme here in Norway. The Ugandan team  met with the Norwegian School of Management BI, Rhetoric Institute, Administrative Research Fund (AFF) and participated in a Female Future seminar for Norwegian participants organised by NHO in Buskerud.

The Ugandan delegation was very inspired and motivated by the information they received on leadership development training, board of Directors competence and the importance of rhetoric in management. They also visited NHO's member company BlueGarden that has participated in the Female Future programme. In addition the Ugandan delegation met with Mariann Karlsen who is also Chief Executive Officer of the Borg Svakstrøm Group. Karlsen is also an alumni of the Female Future programme.

The challenge now remains to be the designing and development of a Female Future Uganda programme that is relevant to Uganda and whose elements effectively address the situation pertaining to Uganda.

FUE is now embarking on an exercise to inform its member companies on the programme with the aim of encouraging them to participate in Female Future. After the one week programme FUE Executive Director Rosemary Ssenabulya observed that “important work begins now, we have to make a strong business argument to our member companies, in addition, we also have to design a programme that will assist Ugandan companies address the gender gap in management positions and on boards of directors.” She further noted that the three components of Female Future, namely, Communication, leadership training and corporate governance are very relevant as capacity building tools for women in management in Uganda.

NHO’s role in assisting its sister organisation, FUE, is to facilitate the knowledge transfer that is required in order for Female Future Uganda to take off.