Government mobilisers call for unity in development
“It is difficult for the government to support individuals, but when people are united, support becomes possible,” he said.
L-R; The chairman board Hijaz Community SACCO, Elias Kigonya, the managing director Hijaz Community SACCO, Radhia Nalwanga, the founder Women At Work International, Halima Namakula and the Senior Presidential Mobiliser on Poverty Eradication and Development, Robert Mbabazi during the launch of the SACCO, a Muslim-led savings and credit cooperative, at Hotel Africana in Kampala on November 6, 2025. (Photo by Procopios Lumu)
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Government mobilisers have urged Ugandans to embrace group formation and savings circles as the most effective way to benefit from government development programmes.
Robert Mbabazi, the Senior Presidential Mobiliser on Poverty Eradication and Development, said the only way to develop the country is to unite, share ideas, create jobs, and promote wellness.
“It is difficult for the government to support individuals, but when people are united, support becomes possible,” he said.
Mbabazi made the call while presiding over the launch of the Hijaz Community SACCO, a Muslim-led savings and credit cooperative, at Hotel Africana in Kampala on November 6, 2025. The SACCO was launched under the government’s poverty eradication and development programme.
He explained that the Microfinance Support Centre serves as a channel for funding organised community groups, adding that collective participation fosters accountability and sustainability.
Meanwhile, Sarah Kanyike, the senior presidential advisor for Kampala affairs, urged Muslims to form SACCOS at mosque, parish, or village level to benefit from government development funds.
Her remarks followed a recent New Vision report that the government has earmarked sh83 billion to support Muslim SACCOs across 16,300 mosques under the Capitalisation for Social Enterprise Development Initiative.
“We have been left behind as Muslims for long,” Kanyike said. “Now is the time to engage and grow together.”
Supporting vulnerable groups
The Hijaz Community SACCO, led by Radhia Nalwanga, was established to promote Islamic banking and support vulnerable Muslim families through savings, bursaries, and small business funding.
“Many widows are left with several children and no income,” Nalwanga said. “Hijaz will empower them with financial literacy, savings, and Sharia-based microfinance to rebuild their lives.”
She revealed that the SACCO, which boasts over 5,000 members, has already secured 500 bursaries, including four scholarships for ICT certificate programmes.
Kellen Musinguzi, a welfare officer from State House, commended Hijaz for promoting enterprise among Muslim women, encouraging them to “save and multiply” rather than “save and consume.”
The launch attracted several Muslim women and men from Kampala and beyond, who came to learn about value addition, the savings culture, and unity as tools for Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.