The short answer
Emyooga is the Presidential Initiative on Wealth and Job Creation, launched in August 2019 and led by the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC). It organises people by occupation, boda boda riders, market vendors, artisans and 15 other categories, into SACCOs formed one per parliamentary constituency, and capitalises those SACCOs so members can borrow to grow their trade.
Parliament voted UGX 260 billion for Emyooga in FY2020/21, and MSC reported UGX 205.34 billion disbursed by 30 June 2021, reaching about 4.1 million beneficiaries. That is a different design from PDM, which capitalises one SACCO per parish and lends directly to subsistence households at a fixed rate. See the table below for how the two compare.
How the money reaches an Emyooga SACCO
MSC capitalises each constituency SACCO directly, rather than lending to individual members from a central pot. In Kassanda District, for example, MSC disbursed UGX 660 million in additional seed capital to 33 Emyooga SACCOs, about UGX 20 million each, with constituencies set to receive a further UGX 360 million and well-performing SACCOs getting an extra UGX 20 million on top.
Once a SACCO holds that capital, it lends to its own members under its own credit policy: its own loan amounts, its own interest method and its own collateral rules, not a fixed government-wide term. That is different from PDM, where a standard UGX 1 million loan at 6 percent a year, over 3 years including a 2 year grace period, applies to every eligible household.
Emyooga vs PDM at a glance
Both are government SACCO programmes, and both ultimately answer to the same cooperative and Tier 4 SACCO law. The difference is who the SACCO is built around, and how the loan is priced to the member.
| Feature | Emyooga | PDM |
|---|---|---|
| Organised by | Parliamentary constituency and occupation, 18 trade categories | Parish, targeting subsistence households |
| Lead agency | Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) | Ministry of Finance and the PDM Secretariat, via IFMIS |
| How the SACCO is funded | Seed capital tranches to the SACCO, for example UGX 20 million per SACCO in one Kassanda round | UGX 100 million per parish per funding round |
| Loan terms to the member | Set by the SACCO's own credit policy | Fixed programme term: up to UGX 1 million at 6 percent a year over 3 years, including a 2 year grace period |
| Launch date | August 2019 | February 2022 |
What Emyooga SACCO leaders must track and report
An Emyooga SACCO is a cooperative society first, and once it takes deposits and lends it needs a Tier 4 SACCO licence, the same as any other SACCO. See our fuller guide to registering a SACCO in Uganda for the registration steps and fees.
- A written credit policy setting loan types, interest method, the maximum loan per member and collateral rules.
- Member share and savings records kept for at least 10 years.
- A loan ledger aged by days in arrears into watch (1 to 60 days), substandard (60 to 90 days), doubtful (90 to 180 days) and loss (over 180 days), with loan loss allowances of 1 percent on performing loans rising to 5, 25, 50 and 100 percent on those bands, under regulations 40(2) and 42(1) of the Tier 4 SACCO Regulations 2020.
- 10 percent of annual surplus into a Reserve Fund before any dividend.
- Minutes of every committee meeting, showing who approved each loan and who declared an interest.
The Auditor General has already tested this once: by June 2020 MSC itself had failed to account for UGX 3.4 billion of Emyooga money, about a year and a half after it was disbursed. Our PDM and Emyooga accountability guide covers the specific findings and the records that prevent each one, and our guide to business record keeping in Uganda covers the basics every SACCO office needs.
Which one applies to you
If your income comes from a trade or occupation, boda boda, salon, welding, market vending and similar, and your constituency has an Emyooga SACCO for that category, Emyooga is the one to join. If you are a subsistence household organised into a parish enterprise group, PDM is the route, and the loan terms are fixed rather than set by committee.
Either way, the money only helps if the SACCO around it is well run. Read how to reduce loan defaults before you start lending, not after arrears pile up.
Where GISS fits in
Growth Informer Software Services has delivered 37 live website and app builds. Our own products handle exactly this kind of ledger: Growth Informer Business is our live cloud POS and stock platform, and Moyo Pay is our own dual-currency wallet on a double-entry ledger. We are also registered with URA as a tax agent.
We are building our SACCO and Emyooga consultancy practice now, so we are not claiming past consultancy assignments, named partner firms or a track record of tenders won, and we never guarantee a licence, funding or a return. What we offer is business consultancy, market entry support and investment facilitation, not advice on securities or investment returns, which needs a Capital Markets Authority licence. Where a finding touches your legal position, we work alongside your own advocate.
We configure and build the Growth Informer Loan and SACCO Management System for one SACCO or lender at a time, including a version scoped for PDM and Emyooga SACCOs. It has no installed base yet, so every build is scoped and quoted on your loan products and member count, priced at .
Frequently asked questions
What is Emyooga?
Emyooga is the Presidential Initiative on Wealth and Job Creation, launched in August 2019 and led by the Microfinance Support Centre. It organises people by occupation into SACCOs formed one per parliamentary constituency, and capitalises those SACCOs so members can borrow to grow their trade.
How is an Emyooga SACCO funded?
MSC gives seed capital tranches directly to the constituency SACCO rather than lending to each member from a central pot. In one example, MSC disbursed UGX 660 million to 33 Emyooga SACCOs in Kassanda District, about UGX 20 million each.
What are the loan requirements for an Emyooga loan?
There is no single government-wide loan term like PDM's. Once MSC capitalises your constituency SACCO, you borrow from that SACCO under its own credit policy, which sets the loan amount, interest method and collateral it requires. Ask your SACCO committee for its written credit policy before you borrow.
How does Emyooga differ from PDM?
Emyooga organises SACCOs by occupation and parliamentary constituency and capitalises the SACCO, which then sets its own lending terms. PDM organises SACCOs by parish and lends a fixed UGX 1 million per household at 6 percent a year over 3 years, including a 2 year grace period.
What does the Microfinance Support Centre do in Emyooga?
MSC is the lead implementing agency for Emyooga. It is a government-owned microfinance wholesaler that capitalises the constituency SACCOs and also lends to other SACCOs and microfinance institutions outside the programme.
Was Emyooga money ever found unaccounted for?
Yes. An Auditor General review found MSC itself had failed to account for UGX 3.4 billion of Emyooga money by June 2020, about a year and a half after it was disbursed.