URSB, Partners empower women entrepreneurs in Kampala.

The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and its partners ended a two days hybrid workshop this week that highlighted development strategies for women entrepreneurship.

Under the theme, “Women Entrepreneurs: Intellectual Property for Branding and Product Development,” the workshop was attended by 20 women entrepreneurs at Hotel Africana in Kampala.

This was organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in partnership with URSB and Grooming a Successful Woman with Intellectual Mind (GSWIM).

The training focused on arming participants with the knowledge and information needed to develop their business ideas into concrete plans in addition to registering and trade-marking their businesses.

Participants also received personalized coaching on branding, product development and guidance on how to position their businesses for the market.

The Chairman of GSWIM, James Wasula said that their organization has a well crafted plan to skill and groom women entrepreneurs.

“Our strategic approach is centered on mentorship, branding and product development. These will enable the women to launch themselves and their products successfully and irreversibly into the marketplace to grow and win over clients,” Wasula said.

Throughout the training, participants were given the opportunity to exchange experiences and promote their products, discuss the benefits of intellectual property for entrepreneurs, how to build brands for enhanced market value, development and use of IP strategies, trademark and industrial design registration process among others.

Representing the Registrar General at the event, URSB’s Board Secretary, Caroline Egesa thanked the partners for looking out for women entrepreneurs who hold a significant economic contribution in various sectors.

“I am delighted that WIPO and GSWIM have collaborated with URSB to organize this workshop. Disseminating intellectual property information is key to women entrepreneurs such that they do not lag behind in the market,” Egesa noted.

She added that ranking Uganda as first in Africa at 38.2% of total business owners by the 2019 MasterCard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) suggests that in these economies, women are becoming as inclined as men to engage in entrepreneurship.

“URSB will support you to nurture, grow, commercialize and protect your businesses,” she promised.

Speaking at the workshop, the WIPO Director Division for the Least Developed Countries, Duong Chi Dung, tasked the women entrepreneurs to use the skills acquired to grow their brands.

He reiterated the commitment of WIPO to support training of more budding entrepreneurs.

“WIPO will assist female-led businesses to use intellectual property to become more innovative and enhance their productive capacity and competitiveness. We plan on more such trainings to support skills development,” he added.

Women entrepreneurs involved in sectors such as cloth making, detergents, confectionery, hand crafts, bottled beverages and beauty care products from across the country were targeted.

The workshop was also attended by representatives of businesswomen associations, representatives of the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association (UWEAL) and the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association (USSIA).