HER ECONOMY UG positions refugee women as economic actors building dignity through business.
Following the campaign, AORW-U proposes a high-profile trade fair to convert visibility into practical market access, sales opportunities, partnerships, investment readiness, and public recognition for refugee-led enterprises in Uganda.
The opportunity
The trade fair responds to three needs: refugee enterprises are often excluded from mainstream commercial platforms; many promising businesses need buyer access, packaging and market readiness support; and public narratives must shift from viewing refugee women as beneficiaries to recognizing them as entrepreneurs and contributors to local economic development.
The fair is designed to turn visibility into practical market access for refugee-led enterprises.
Goal and objectives
The goal is to catalyse market access, visibility, strategic partnerships and resource mobilisation for refugee-led enterprises in Uganda through a donor-friendly national trade fair convened under the HER ECONOMY UG platform.
- Showcase refugee-led enterprises and products to a national audience in a dignified, business-focused setting.
- Facilitate linkages between exhibitors and buyers, distributors, financiers, business support organisations and development partners.
- Strengthen enterprise readiness through pre-event coaching and on-site business development support.
- Generate donor, media and policy attention around the contribution of refugee entrepreneurship to Uganda’s economy and social cohesion.
- Produce visibility and learning materials to support advocacy, fundraising and future programme design.
Event format and core components
Enterprise exhibition area
Curated booths where refugee entrepreneurs display and sell products, test customer response, and build buyer relationships.
Business-to-business networking
Structured engagement with off-takers, retailers, hotels, processors, financial institutions and market actors.
Learning and business clinics
Practical advisory sessions on branding, packaging, compliance, bookkeeping, market access and digital marketing.
Storytelling and advocacy
Moderated conversations highlighting refugee women’s enterprise journeys, resilience and policy recommendations.
Media and communications
Photography, videography, interviews, social media coverage and post-event content packaging for continued advocacy.
Expected results and donor value
- Increased visibility, confidence and market exposure for refugee women-led enterprises.
- New buyer, partner, financier and business development service connections for exhibitors.
- Better donor understanding of the commercial potential of refugee-led businesses.
- Participant profiles, photo and video documentation, buyer contact lists, sales snapshots and exhibitor feedback captured for follow-up.
- A concise post-event donor update produced within two weeks, summarising achievements, participation data, lessons and next actions.
- Sponsors receive visibility through branding, recognition during sessions, inclusion in event collateral and acknowledgement in post-event communications.
Target participants and implementation
AORW-U will lead overall coordination, enterprise mobilisation, stakeholder engagement, donor communications and event oversight.
A small organising team will manage exhibitor selection, logistics, communications, protocol, finance and monitoring. Strategic partners will be engaged for venue support, media amplification, business advisory services and sponsorship mobilisation.
The fair will prioritise refugee women-led and youth-led enterprises while allowing selected host community and partner organisations to participate in ways that strengthen inclusion, market confidence and local integration.
Participating enterprises will receive a light pre-fair orientation on product presentation, pricing, customer engagement, booth management, safeguarding and event expectations.