The Uganda Instituteof Banking and Financial Services (UIBFS), inpartnership with the Food and Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations (FAO), has convenedWorkshop to validate a Market and InstitutionalAssessment report, in addition to validating aspecialised Sustainable Forestry and Wood Value Chain Financing Curricu lum. The curriculum was developedby the Uganda Institute of Banking and FinancialServices, commissioned by FAO and funded by theEuropean Union.
The workshop brought together stakeholders fromgovernment, financial
institutions, development partners, the private sectorand academia.
The Market and Institutional Assessment was undertaken to establish the readiness and capacityof financial institutions to participate in financing the forestry and wood value chain. It examined existing financing opportunities, institutional capacity, sector-specific risks, challenges and financing gaps.
Drawing on the assessment findings, UIBFS developed a specialised curriculum on SustainableForestry and Wood Value Chain Financing.
The curriculum is desig ned to strengthen thecapacity of financial institutions in Uganda tounderstand, assess and finance sustainable forestryand wood-based enterprises by imparting staff offinancial institutions with practical knowledge and skills to identify financing opportunities, assess sector-specific risks, structure appropriate financing solutions and support sustainable investments across the value chain. The ultimate goal is to unlock investment opportunities and drive growth across Uganda’s wood value chain.
Following the validation exercise, UIBFS will pilotthe curriculum before rolling it out to trainprofessionals from financial institutions. This willenable
banks and other financial service providers to build the expertise required to develop appropriatefinancial products and increase financing to sustainable forestry and wood-based enterprises.
Spea king at the workshop, UIBFS Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Mrs Goretti Masadde, highlighted thesignificant economic opportunities within Uganda’sforestry and wood value chain, emphasising theneed for appropriate financing to ena ble smallholder tree farmers to transition from subsistence-level production to commercially viable enterprises.
Uganda’s forestry and wood sector represents more than an environmental opportunity. It is a powerful driver of sustainable investment, enterprise growth, job creation and economic transformation, said Mrs. Masadde. She underscored the need to bridge the gap between the sector’s investment potential and access to appropriate financing.
“The opportunity before us is much bigger thanfinancing trees or timber. It is about financing anentire value chain and unlocking economic value.”
She highlighted how specialised financial expertiseand innovative financing solutions can empowersmallholder tree farmers, strengthen SMEs,modernise wood-processing enterprises, expandmarket opportunities, and increase Uganda’s export competitiveness.
Mrs. Masadde emphasised that the proposed specialised curriculum must translate into practicalfinancial sector competencies and investment solutions that deliver measurable impact, supportingsustainable livelihoods, im port substitution, andUganda’s ambition of achieving a USD SOO billioneconomy by 2040.
On the other hand, Mr. Leonid as Hitimana, theSector Head of Forestry, Climate and Environmentat the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Uganda, emphasized theneed to shift from
traditional funding approachest’owar s sustain able,long-term financing for Uganda’s forestry sector.
Mr. Hitimana commended the Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services (UIBFS) for itscontribution to developing the specialised curriculum, stressing that its success will depend on continuous training, practical application and sustained engagement with financial institutions.
He also acknowledged the longstanding support of the European Union and Denmark, alongside theGovern ment of Uganda, in advancing sustainableforestry development and strengthening thecountry’s wood value chain.
His message reinforced a key priority: equippingfinancial institutions with the knowledge and capacity to translate forestry investment opportunities into sustainable financing solutions that drive long-term sector growth.
Additionally, Rohan Tejpar, a Programme Officer atthe European Union Delegation to Uganda, covering forestry and serving as the focal point for the FAO value chains program me, noted thataccess to finance is one of the key missing links toelevating Uganda’s forestry and wood industry.” Hehighlighted the innportance of developing innovative financing solutions tailored to the unique investment needs of the forestry sector. He emphasized thechallenges posed by long investment cycles and the need for financial institutions to adopt financing models that support sustainable forestry enterprises.
He further highlighted the European Union’s forestryprogramme, co-financed with Denmark, and itscontribution to reforestation, forest governance,conservation and the development of wood andnon-wood forest value chains.