Jinja, Uganda – March 30–31, 2026

Efforts to expand opportunities for young people in Uganda took centre stage at the Mastercard Foundation Partners Young Africa Works 2026 Dialogue in Jinja. Convened alongside Heifer International, the two-day event brought together partners, financial institutions, and ecosystem actors to explore how agrifood systems can drive dignified and fulfilling work for young people.

Across the dialogue, discussions centred on three priorities: expanding access to finance and productive resources, strengthening markets and value chains, and building partnerships that help youth-led enterprises grow.

For many young people, agriculture remains the most immediate pathway to work but only when the right systems are in place. Within this broader conversation, financial inclusion emerged as one of the strongest enablers of sustainable livelihoods, particularly for young women.

Putting Financial Inclusion at the Centre

Through our session, “Together, We Finance Her Future,” we shared insights from the Community of Practice on Inclusive Finance and explored what is working, what is not, and what needs to change.

Convened in partnership with Equity Bank, the Community of Practice responds to a persistent challenge: fragmentation. Many institutions are working to improve financial inclusion, but too often these efforts happen in isolation, limiting scale and long-term impact.

The Community of Practice creates space for shared learning, coordination, and joint problem-solving, connecting financial institutions, programme partners, and ecosystem actors around one goal: building financial systems that work for young women.

What’s Working and What Needs to Scale

Insights from the Community of Practice highlighted approaches already improving access.

Group lending continues to unlock opportunities by relying on social collateral and peer accountability, especially for young women who may not have traditional assets to secure loans.

Digital lending is also changing the landscape. By reducing distance, lowering transaction costs, and simplifying access, digital financial services are bringing finance closer to underserved entrepreneurs.

However, access alone is not enough. While more young women are reaching financial services, affordability remains a major barrier. Many small, short-term loans still carry high costs, making them difficult to sustain.

Financial inclusion also depends on readiness. Access must be matched with financial literacy, record-keeping, business skills, market access, and proper documentation. The conversation is shifting from simply who can access finance to whether young women are equipped to use it well and grow from it.

The Value of Partnership

A strong message from the dialogue was that financial inclusion cannot be driven by one actor alone.

Development partners support coordination and learning. Financial institutions redesign products. NGOs strengthen enterprise readiness. Community structures build trust and extend reach.

When these efforts work together, the results are stronger more young people accessing financial services, more businesses growing, and more pathways to dignified work opening up.

The dialogue reinforced that financial inclusion is not just about access to finance. It is about building systems that respond to the realities of young women and create lasting economic opportunity.