Nile Breweries equips 230 retailers with business skills in Masaka

What the report says

Nile Breweries Limited has trained 230 retailers in Masaka district in practical business, financial and digital skills under its Growing Retailers Innovatively Together, or GRIT, programme, according to a media release reported by The Independent Uganda on Aug. 6. The participants included bar owners, shop managers and stockists from across the district.

The sessions covered financial management, stock control, sales and marketing, responsible retailing, digital payments and long-term business planning. The company said the training placed special focus on basic practices that small businesses often struggle to maintain consistently, such as separating business and personal money, keeping records, managing cash flow and planning for growth. Masaka follows earlier GRIT activities in Kampala and Gulu.

The article says the programme is part of Nile Breweries’ wider goal of supporting more than 1,500 retailers nationwide. It also included partnerships with the National Social Security Fund, which introduced participants to the NSSF SmartLife Flexi savings product, and with MTN Mobile Money to encourage cashless transactions and better record-keeping.

In comments quoted by The Independent Uganda, Nile Breweries’ Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs, Emmanuel Njuki, said the company sees retailer strength as tied to its own business health. A Masaka participant, Steven Sekamatte of Vegas Depot and Pub in Mutukula, said the training helped him improve stock management, record-keeping and the separation of business and personal finances. More broadly, Uganda’s SME sector is a major employer and contributor to GDP, which helps explain the significance of retailer-focused training.