The Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services (UIBFS), in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has convened Workshop to validate a Market and Institutional Assessment report, in addition to validating a specialised Sustainable Forestry and Wood Value Chain Financing Curricu lum. The curriculum was developed by the Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services, commissioned by FAO and funded by the European Union.
The workshop brought together stakeholders from government, financial institutions, development partners, the private sector and academia.
The Market and Institutional Assessment was undertaken to establish the readiness and capacity of 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 Sustainable Forestry and Wood Value Chain Financing.
The curriculum is desig ned to strengthen the capacity of financial institutions in Uganda to understand, assess and finance sustainable forestry and wood-based enterprises by imparting staff of financial 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 pilot the curriculum before rolling it out to train professionals from financial institutions. This will enable
banks and other financial service providers to build the expertise required to develop appropriate financial products and increase financing to sustainable forestry and wood-based enterprises.
Spea king at the workshop, UIBFS Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Goretti Masadde, highlighted the significant economic opportunities within Uganda’s forestry and wood value chain, emphasising the need for appropriate financing to ena ble small holder 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 than financing trees or timber. It is about financing an entire value chain and unlocking economic value.”
She highlighted how specialised financial expertise and innovative financing solutions can empower smallholder tree farmers, strengthen SMEs, modernise wood-processing enterprises, expand market opportunities, and increase Uganda’s export competitiveness.
Mrs. Masadde emphasised that the proposed specialised curriculum must translate into practical financial sector competencies and investment solutions that deliver measurable impact, supporting sustainable livelihoods, im port substitution, and Uganda’s ambition of achieving a USD SOO billion economy by 2040.
On the other hand, Mr. Leonid as Hitimana, the Sector Head of Forestry, Climate and Environment at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Uganda, emphasized the need 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 its contribution to developing the specialised curricu lum, 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 the Govern ment of Uganda, in advancing sustainable forestry development and strengthening the country’s wood value chain.
His message reinforced a key priority: equipping financial 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 at the European Union Delegation to Uganda, covering forestry and serving as the focal point for the FAO value chains program me, noted that access to finance is one of the key missing links to elevating Uganda’s forestry and wood industry.” He highlighted the innportance of developing innovative financing solutions tailored to the unique investment needs of the forestry sector. He emphasized the challenges 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 forestry programme, co-financed with Denmark, and its contribution to reforestation, forest governance, conservation and the development of wood and non-wood forest value chains.
The Uganda Institute of Banking an Financial Services is a leading provider of professional education, training and capacity development for Uganda’s banking and financial services sector. The Institute is committed to advancing professionalism, excellence and innovation through specialized training, professional qualifications, research and strategic partnerships.
