aBi Development
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
EMPOWERING YOUNG WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN AGRICULTURE STIMULATED BY COFFEE (EYE-C) PROGRAMME
aBi Development Limited, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and in collaboration with Café Africa Uganda and the International Women in Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Uganda Chapter, is implementing the Empowering Young Women Entrepreneurs in Agriculture Stimulated by Coffee (EYE-C) Programme. The goal of EYE-C is to improve the livelihoods and resilience of young women in Uganda through their economic participation in the coffee sector and complementary enterprises by 2030. The programme focuses on addressing market system barriers, skills gaps, and access to finance constraints while strengthening ecosystem actors that support young women to transition into dignified and fulfilling work.
As part of this effort, the programme is implementing the Women-Led Enterprise Job Creation Facility (WEJCF), a competitive support facility designed to strengthen women-led enterprises and the enterprise support ecosystem that serves them. Through WEJCF, the programme seeks to support the growth and competitiveness of women-led businesses, create employment opportunities for young women, and improve access to business development services, incubation support, finance, market linkages, digitalization, climate-smart business practices, and safeguarding systems.
The programme, therefore, invites eligible applicants operating in the Central, Eastern, Western, and South-Western regions of Uganda to apply under one of two categories. Category 1 targets women-led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Category 2 targets Incubation Centres, Common User Facilities, and Enterprise Support Organizations.
Category 1: Women-Led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
Applications are invited from women-led MSMEs operating within the coffee and complementary agricultural value chains, including coffee aggregation and trade, coffee processing and value addition, farm service provision, retail and vending, export logistics and compliance services, as well as complementary enterprises such as poultry, horticulture, apiary, briquettes, biochar and seeking support to grow, create jobs, and increase their competitiveness.
Eligibility
Eligible women-led MSMEs must:
- Have at least 51% women ownership (mandatory threshold).
- Demonstrate a commitment to employing disadvantaged young women.
- Target at least 70% disadvantaged young women and 5% young women with disabilities.
- Present a clear strategy for achieving these inclusion targets.
Applications are invited from incubation centres, common user facilities, and enterprise support organizations that provide business development, incubation, technical, market, financial, or capacity-building support to women-led MSMEs operating within the coffee and complementary agricultural value chains.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants must demonstrate:
- Experience supporting enterprise growth and competitiveness.
- Capacity to provide incubation, acceleration, mentorship, or business development services.
- Commitment to supporting women-led MSMEs to grow, scale, and create employment opportunities for young women.
Duration
- Successful applicants under both categories will be supported for a period of twenty-four (24) months.
How to Apply
Interested applicants can access the application templates through the aBi Grants Management System (GMS) using the links below:
- Category 1: Women-Led MSMEs https://shorturl.at/Bgdvl
- Category 2: Incubation Centres, Common User Facilities, and Enterprise Support Organizations https://shorturl.at/yPgCX
- Upon successful submission, applicants will receive an email confirmation.
- Hard-copy applications or applications submitted via email will not be accepted.
- Only applications received before the deadline will be reviewed and processed.
- Please note that only shortlisted applicants from both categories will be contacted.
Information Sessions
To support interested applicants through the application process, virtual information sessions will be conducted on 6th July 2026 using the Meeting Link below:
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/313466172977255?p=xMz9YrD8neaPnADQWr
Session 1: Women-Led MSMEs
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Session 2: Incubation Centres, Common User Facilities, and Enterprise Support Organizations
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Deadline: Closing Date for Applications: July 20th, 2026
Contact for Support: For technical support and inquiries regarding the application process, please contact: IT Team: at ayub.isabirye@abi.co.ug. Also, MSMEs can contact 0700 736 415 in case of any technical challenges in the application process:
