By Winniefred Akinyi and Photography by Irene Kabakama
Women in agriculture have been called upon to adopt technology and modern farming practices to ensure quality and durability of products.
Speaking at the annual Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) women’s conference, Ephrance Tumuboine the Assistant Commissioner crop protection in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries said equipping women with information, will strengthen their capacities and benefit society better.
“Women remain the majority in the agricultural sector and this means that we need to equip them with information, technology and confidence to strengthen their capacities in order to benefit them and their families better. There are a number of women supporting their families through agriculture. How can we support them to improve their source of income?” She said.
Tumuboine added that social norms often impede women from partaking in formal agricultural value chains but government is mitigating this by developing programs that are inclusive. She cited the Parish Development Model that requires every enterprise leadership to have not less than two female leaders out of the elected five.
She said women can be propelled into technology through mentorship, upskilling and educating tech leaders on the benefits of diversity in the workforce.
Tumuboine advised them to use technology to learn new skills saying, “Let us use phones to get information, utilize available innovations to add value to what you are doing. Do not use phones to just take selfies, utilize those facilities.”
In her address, Irene Irumba the Assistant Commissioner Learning and Development URA urged entrepreneurs to formalize their businesses to improve their prospects of doing business with government, access to incentives, financial services and also expand Uganda’s revenue sources.
She tipped them on URA’s business enabling tools like the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing System which provides a digital business trail and enables taxpayers easily track refunds, and the Digital Tax Stamps which she cited as proof of authenticity.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Women Entrepreneur Association, Connie Kekihembo, emphasized the value of business formalization and listed the many advantages an entrepreneur can enjoy.
Simon Mwijuka Seezi the Chairperson Mbarara City Traders Association advised business people to be tax compliant to ensure continuity of their businesses.
“As a businesswoman, make it a point to keep learning, be patient and avoid making comparisons because everyone’s journey is unique, and progress takes time. Ensure that you formalize your business because it is a prerequisite to success,” he said.
He also requested for more engagements to guide business formalization and called on URA to put into consideration taxpayer challenges during policy formulation.
The URA Women’s Conference is organized annually in recognition of the role women play in the development of Uganda. This year’s event was celebrated under the theme “leveraging innovation and technology to foster business growth foe women in agriculture” and it sought to educate women agricultural entrepreneurs on how to incorporate technology to grow their businesses.
