Following the initial year of set up that involved dedicated planning, collaboration, and learning, ASIGMA is proud to announce the launch of the Stimulating Agribusiness for Youth Employment (SAYE) Credit Fund; a US$2 million facility designed to increase access to finance for young people in agriculture across the Busoga sub-region in Eastern Uganda.
This SAYE Credit Fund is part of a wider programme implemented by Heifer International in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and other consortium partners including Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development Limited (CURAD), Federation of Small and Medium Entreprises Uganda (FSME) and Financial Sector Deepening Uganda (FSDU). ASIGMA, as a licensed Fund Manager, leads the fund’s strategy and execution translating insights from the pilot into a practical and scalable model for value chain finance.
The SAYE Credit Fund tackles one of the most persistent structural challenges facing youth groups involved in agriculture, where they have no access to trade finance to fulfill large premium market orders, due to the lack of traditional collateral required by formal financial institutions.
To address this, the Fund adopts an innovative approach, leveraging social capital and collective structures such as SACCOs, cooperatives, agrihubs, and agricultural technology platforms to extend the benefits of access to finance to targeted beneficiaries. This is through two strategic financing pathways:
- Provision of working capital to cooperatives and agrihubs, enabling them to meet ready market demand; and
- Lines of credit to SACCOs and microfinance institutions.
These structures enable young people, especially women, to access finance more affordably and reliably by benefiting from shared accountability, aggregation, and enterprise support systems.
What lies ahead
The launch of the SAYE Credit Fund reflects ASIGMA’s mission to design sustainable, practical solutions that create lasting impact. More than just a Fund, this initiative offers a model for tackling youth unemployment while setting a new standard for inclusive value chain finance in Africa.
As the programme grows, ASIGMA looks forward to working with international partners to adapt this model across borders, opening doors for young people, especially women, to break critical barriers and thrive in agribusiness and entrepreneurship.
About Heifer International, Uganda
Heifer Uganda is committed to transforming the lives of 400,000 smallholder farmers — 60 percent of whom will be women — by 2030 through the inclusive development of value chains in which these farmers have the potential to earn more income. We aim to enhance farmers’ competitiveness and build their climate resilience by facilitating access to renewable energy sources such as solar power, finance, extension services, information, insurance and mechanization. We also work with women farmers to earn a living income in agriculture, and we support young agrientrepreneurs who are driving innovation in farming.
About ASIGMA
ASIGMA is a technology-driven management and advisory firm that leverages data and technology to add value to organisations, through an integrated services offering that includes Investment Advisory, Research & Learning, Technology Services and Program Management. We not only deliver expert investment and financial guidance to public and medium-to-large private sector clients but also manage private and development sector funds that are aimed at increasing access-to-finance at the bottom of the pyramid
Working through the sustainability lens, ASIGMA also designs and implements development-sector market access and livelihood programs, that leverage private sector investment and acumen to ensure long-term viability and consequent impact delivery. All these endeavours are powered by our Technology Services arm that builds project and investment monitoring platforms for internal and external clients, ensuring transparency and accountability, while also providing technology advisory services for clients’ business systems transformation.
For more information about ASIGMA and the SAYE Credit Fund, please contact our Programs team at program@asigmagroup.com
