Women constitute almost 51 percent of the population in Uganda. They also represent the biggest percentage in the trade (55 %) and manufacturing (51%) sectors. Women’s contribution to the economy though largely informal contributes to improved family and community well-being because women spend their income for the benefit of others.

To this end a number of policies, laws and programs to encourage women economic empowerment have been initiated by the government. For example, Within the second National Development Plan (NDP II), the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP), was identified to directly address some of the challenges and opportunities for skilling, financing, socio-cultural norms for increased economic empowerment of women in or willing to participate in business. Even with these measures, women still represent the biggest number of poor in Uganda and 70% of vulnerable employment.  Businesses started by women in Uganda remain small with low profitability and shorter life span.

Women in Uganda often face sex related issues that restrict their ability to make decisions to grow their business. These different issues such as the inability to access loans, gender digital gap, un-paid care work burden and lack of general business information have been exuberated by COVID-19.

COVID-19 and effect on women businesses

Government measures and presidential directives to stop the rapid spread of the virus in Uganda have included the closure of businesses, public institutions, social distancing, the ban on public transport and the closure of borders. These largely gender-blind measures have had catastrophic effects on trade. According to a May 2020 report by Private Sector Foundation in Uganda, most private businesses that previously operated at 50-60% capacity have already declined to about 20% capacity and general business activity has already declined by over 50%.

With these disruptions, women shoulder the biggest burdens as small business owners or employees. With no safety nets for informal business owners (the largest percentage of them women), the failure and closure of businesses has become rampant.

Women further report reduced income and failure to provide for their families with the several measures instituted to clamp down petty and market vending activities. For example, on the 25th March, the president announced a ban on the sale of non- food items in Ugandan markets for two weeks to keep social distancing measures affecting women who constitute the biggest number of sellers in markets.

Additionally, vendors, selling food items were required to sleep in the market. A failure  of women in markets to balance care work and productive work forced many to choose more home-based enterprises with less profit. Moreover, media reports were awash with un-precedented brutalizing of women street vendors to keep them off the street.

Digital Platforms as a coping strategy

Even with the present-day ease of COVID-19 measures, women traders have been thrown to the sharks with noted low government commitment to provide information and support. The president has encouraged that business owners find new ways of doing business.

Women working in the informal sector have no idea where and how to start. With the shift of a number of business to digital platforms, women remain further marginalized due to gender digital gap.  For example, more men (58%) than women (46%) own a mobile phone in Uganda. Beyond ownership is the ability to use ICT based technologies for business growth if available.

And yet digital platforms are important to foster proper decision making and ensure that government Standard Operating Procedures like social distancing are followed, keeping women healthy and safe. Digital platforms allow women access agricultural and business advisory services, market linkages and market services. Additionally, access to information around source of loans and their conditions, training opportunities plus sensitization of laws and policies will be widely distributed if platforms like radio and phones are employed.

As of 2016, up to 80 % of the Ugandan economy was informal constituting of mainly women. Government has availed stimulus packages for formal businesses including loans and information non-reflective of these statistics. However, to cushion women businesses from shock and recapitalize them, government, business developers and women organizations must play a crucial role in helping women access and utilize technologies or digital platforms to make trade information and services easier and faster.