WeWork — Green and Decent Jobs for Youth

In collaboration with Enabel, SHONA is implementing the WeWork — Green and Decent Jobs for Youth project through The Good Green Business Accelerator. We seek to transform Uganda’s green and circular economy by supporting SMEs to gain capacity, acquire business loans and hire the right employees they need to grow their business, thereby creating employment and boosting economic growth.

The initiative will contribute to a thriving, inclusive, and sustainable green and circular economy ecosystem, driven by competitive, investment-ready businesses that create decent jobs, reduce environmental harm, and promote resource efficiency.

What it takes to qualify for the Program

Criteria for businesses we are working with:

Legal Business Registration: The business is registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and locally owned where majority Ugandan-owned (more than 50% shareholding).
The business has at least 50+ customers, users or suppliers and a clear, reliable supply chain and the business should have been in existence for at least 2+ years with a minimum annual turnover of eighty million Uganda shillings (UGX 80,000,000) (UGX 7,000,000 per month).
Staffing: The business should have at least 2 full-time employees, including the founder.
Location: The business must be located in the Kampala Metropolitan, Busoga, or West Nile regions.
Gender: Women-led or women-owned businesses are strongly advised to apply.
Thematic areas of: Regenerative agriculture, agroecology, agroforestry, conservation agriculture, climate and conservation, renewable energy, waste management, green manufacturing, and off-farm activities.

Criteria for youth to get hired by the businesses:

Talent actively looking for a job and aged between 18 and 35 years.
Degree, diploma or certificate holder who graduated no more than 5 years ago (2021).
Willing to work in the following fields: Accounting and Finance, Sales, Marketing and Operations.
A citizen of Uganda willing to work in one of the 11 districts of Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Jinja, Kamuli, Arua, Adjumani, Yumbe, Madi-Okollo, Terego and Kiryandongo.
Ready to commit to 3-6 months employment duration.

Apply to work with SMEs

To get hired by a business, apply through the link.

Benefits of participating in the program

Capacity

A detailed roadmap to track your strategic growth and accountability.
Collaborate with other entrepreneurs to solve common business challenges.
Opportunities to visit larger enterprises, enabling you to learn best practices and build potential market connections.
You access a Technical Assistance (TA) resource to solve specific problems in your business, such as setting up financial systems, ensuring legal compliance, or measuring green impact.

Capital

Secure a commercial loan through our partnership with SHONA Capital and other partners, targeting financing to fund business growth or asset acquisition.

Connections

Our commitment is to quality employment. We work with SMEs to strengthen their HR systems and ensure that new roles adhere to our standards for decent work, a core indicator of this project's success.
Pre-trained talent: We give you access to a pool of young talent who have completed specialized training in green career skills.
Wage subsidy: You access the Talent Matching Grant (TMG). This grant pays 50% of the new hire’s gross wage for 3 to 6 months, reducing your risk while you onboard new staff.

How is the Program structured?

Phase One

Refining your green and circular business model and plan.

Phase Two

Building a comprehensive commercially viable 3-year business growth plan/strategy that incorporates green and circular aspects across all core business functions.

Phase Three

A suite of bespoke business and financial management support packages designed to address critical business growth requirements alongside opportunities for access to finance and talent matching, delivered through dedicated business analysts over a 12- month period.