By Rtn Sylvia Nankya
Uganda has significant opportunities to grow its economy through investments that generate financial returns while protecting the environment and promoting social inclusion, according to Rtn Mona Muguma-Ssebuliba, the Chief Executive Officer of aBi Finance Limited.
Speaking during the weekly fellowship of the Rotary Club of Kampala Naalya at Ndere Centre in Kampala last Tuesday, Rtn Mona said green investment extends beyond commonly recognised activities such as solar energy, tree planting and plastic recycling, offering opportunities across agriculture, manufacturing, construction, financial services and information and communication technology.
She described green investment as an approach that seeks financial returns while managing environmental and social impacts, arguing that sustainability should be central to investment decisions. She said the ultimate objective of green investing is to meet present needs while preserving resources and opportunities for future generations to meet their own needs.
Rtn Mona identified environmental management, social inclusion and good governance as the three pillars of sustainability, commonly referred to as environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations.
Rtn Mona identified agriculture as one of the sectors in which Ugandans can pursue investments that combine economic returns with environmental sustainability. She pointed to solar-powered irrigation kits, rainwater harvesting tanks, organic fertiliser production and use, greenhouses for climate-smart farming, and biogas digesters that use animal waste as examples of potential investments.
According to Rtn Mona, these opportunities demonstrate how green investment can be incorporated into agricultural activities through technologies and practices that support more sustainable production.
She also highlighted water supply, sewerage and waste management as areas offering opportunities for investment.
Rtn Mona cited household rainwater harvesting systems, water-saving irrigation technologies, plastic collection and recycling businesses, community composting enterprises and environmentally friendly sanitation facilities, including bio-toilets, as examples of potential ventures.
She also identified forestry and biodiversity as important areas for green investment, pointing to commercial tree planting for timber, eucalyptus and pine, as well as fruit tree orchards growing mangoes, avocados and oranges.
She added that bamboo-growing projects, beekeeping integrated with forest conservation and indigenous tree nursery businesses were other examples of investments that could combine commercial activity with environmental considerations.
In the energy sector, the presenter highlighted solar home systems, solar water heaters, solar-powered refrigeration for businesses, solar pumps for farms and battery storage systems for households and small and medium-sized enterprises as potential investment opportunities.
Rtn Mona identified manufacturing as another sector in which businesses can explore environmentally conscious production and resource use. She cited the production of reusable shopping bags, organic fertilisers, recycled plastic products, energy-efficient cookstoves and environmentally friendly packaging materials as examples of green manufacturing investments.
In the construction sector, she highlighted green affordable housing, solar rooftop installations, energy-efficient building renovations, the production and use of compressed stabilised earth blocks, and rainwater harvesting systems in buildings.
Rtn Mona also identified financial services as an important area for green investment, highlighting the role of financing products designed to support environmentally sustainable activities.
She cited green loans for solar systems, loans for clean cooking technologies, climate-smart agriculture financing and green asset financing for equipment such as solar pumps, biogas systems and irrigation technologies.
She also identified savings products linked to environmental projects as another potential avenue within the green finance space.
In addition, Mona highlighted opportunities in information and communication technology, including smart irrigation monitoring solutions, mobile applications for climate-smart agriculture, digital platforms for waste collection and recycling, energy management software for small and medium-sized enterprises, and e-commerce platforms for sustainable products.