dfcu Bank Champions Inclusive Trade and Economic Transformation at Breaking Barriers to Trade 2025 Conference

Bank reaffirmed its role as a key driver of Uganda’s economic transformation during the Breaking Barriers to Trade 2025 conference, held at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel. The Bank showcased its leadership in inclusive finance, entrepreneurial development, and trade facilitation, as a headline sponsor and participant alongside high-level policymakers, development agencies, private sector players, and international organizations.

Themed around overcoming systemic challenges in Africa’s trade landscape, the conference brought together a diverse network of stakeholders to align on shared solutions that will enable Uganda – and Africa – to realize the full potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Delivering a keynote address, Annette Kiconco, Chief Retail Banking Officer at dfcu Bank, underscored Uganda’s unique positioning in East Africa as a gateway to regional markets under COMESA, EAC, and the AfCFTA. Citing Uganda’s strong Q1 2025 export growth and a 72.1% increase in manufactured goods in April alone, she emphasized the opportunity to unlock value through regional integration, value addition, and inclusive participation.

“Trade must be transformational; not transactional. It must uplift communities, deepen industrial capacity, and build resilience,” she noted. “At dfcu Bank, we are not only financing trade; we are reimagining who gets to participate in it.”

Ms. Kiconco also highlighted dfcu’s three-pronged strategy to break barriers to trade:

• Access to Finance: Offering tailored working capital solutions and trade finance instruments, particularly to SMEs.

• dfcu Women in Business Programme (WiB):Empowering over 70,000 women entrepreneurs through access to credit, training, and market linkages.

• Sector-led Growth:Targeting key sectors like agriculture, trade, manufacturing, infrastructure, and ICT, which are central to Uganda’s socio-economic development.

The event also featured powerful remarks from Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa, Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, who urged Ugandans to challenge gender stereotypes and enable equal access to economic opportunities. She lauded the Bank’s long-standing commitment to women’s economic empowerment, noting the constitutional imperative for women’s representation across decision-making platforms.

As part of the conference activities, dfcu Bank hosted an Access to Finance workshop led by Joan Kaagaza, Head of Commercial Banking. The session equipped SMEs, startups, and large enterprises with practical guidance on financing models and tools available through dfcu Bank.

“We’ve chosen to focus on sectors that are most critical to Uganda’s development,” Kaagaza stated. “This approach is central to our purpose of transforming lives and businesses in Uganda.”

With AfCFTA poised to be the world’s largest single market—with a projected GDP of US$3.4 trillion and a population of 1.4 billion, dfcu Bank called for collaborative action to close the gaps that limit Africa’s global competitiveness.