Strengthening Affordable Agribusiness BDS in Northern Uganda
Good design, working project
Over the past 18 months, FRIENDS Consult Ltd (FCL) has been work under a contract with GiZ to increase supply of affordable Business Development Services (BDS) for agri-businesses in Northern Uganda. The assignment, with six more months to go, is implemented under the Promoting Rural Development in Northern Uganda II (PRUDEV II) programme. Proceeding in logical sequence after starting, we have seen over 120 BDS providers trained and coached to servie their clients more sustainable and affordably. Part of the reason is the good project design and the other is mentodical implementation,
What was done
Survey. In November 2024, FCL conducted a comprehensive BDS Needs Assessment and Market Analysis across eight districts (Gulu, Kitgum, Agago, Nwoya, Adjumani, Lira, Oyam, and Kole). Engaging hundreds of respondents including Farmer Organizations (FOs), MSMEs, ndividual farmers, BDS providers, and district level key informants, the study revealed critical gaps in governance, financial management, market access, input supply, and entrepreneurial capabilities among FOs and smallholder farmers. Key findings highlighted strong need for bundled BDS in access to markets, finance, supply chain management, production methods, and governance, with 86% of clients willing to pay up to UGX 100,000 for clear value created or added by BDS activities.
Training BDS providers. Building on the insights from findings, FCL trained 154 lower-tier BDS providers (37% female, 56.5% youth) in three cohorts (February–March 2025) in Lira, Kitgum, and Gulu. The five-day trainings focused on Business Model Canvas development, needs analysis using the 5-“Why”s method, and worked with providers to bundle service delivery across eight priority areas. Pre- and post-training tests showed significant knowledge gains, while evaluations rated the content highly relevant (85%), with Business Model Canvas and Access to Markets as the most impactful sessions.
Handholding BDS Providers. FCL is presently working with over 150 BDS providers to develop practical business plans for serving the local agribusiness sector. Coupled with the training, this should help most of the providers to offer highly relevant and affordable services.
FCL is also providing targeted coaching, mentoring, and market orientation to the 154 BDS providers, supporting them to deliver affordable services that drive measurable improvements in FO and MSME performance, job creation, and inclusive economic growth in Northern Uganda. FCL’s approach emphasizes sustainable, demand-driven BDS models, collective/group business clinics, and ower delivery costs while ensuring long-term viability.
Macro context
The intervention aligns with BMZ’s 2030 priority of transforming agricultural and food systems to build resilience and reduce hunger, towards which GiZ is contributing through the PRUDEV II Project. It also compliments Government of Uganda’s strategic focus including the Fourth National development Plan (NDP IV) and the Parish development Model.
Written by Keren Obara.
Projects Officer, Marketing and Innovation.