Background
The creative sector which is largely small and informal employs many young people who find it difficult to attract better contracts, get raw materials, funding and great talent. And now with the outbreak of COVID-19, this sector is struggling to stay afloat since it is flooded with freelancers whose resources cannot withstand the stretched shock-length of the pandemic effects. It should be noted that over 50% of informal SMEs in Uganda don’t last till their 3rd birthdays and also majority of them are family based with little or no business experience. Also, they can not afford to use/adapt to technology for effective business performance. In addition, these enterprises also face limited access to expert knowledge, mentorship, affordable marketing channels, access to tools & equipment, access to better packaging, promotion, distribution all of which affect their ability to compete at a regional and global level.
About The Program
Tools to Create is an equipment financing initiative for creative enterprises, craftsmen and technicians designed to provide alternative financing for their production tools. It seeks to;
- Accelerate their production capacities
- Diversify product offerings
- Launch them into the market fast & fully equipped.
The Facility will create 3000 work opportunities for young women and men in the creative sector.
Program Focus Areas
Creative entrepreneurs and informal producers of cultural, domestic and commercial goods and services who fall in the categories below are provided with working capital needs inform of toolkits to aid in production efficiencies for their enterprises.
- Art and Culture
- Woodwork and Carpentry
- Leather and cow horn products
- Automobile Repair
- Metalwork and Fabrication
- Beauty and Cosmetics
- Music Dance and Drama
- Fashion and Design, Media
- Catering and Bakery
- Pottery
- Motorcycle and Bicycle Repair
- Floristry
- Transportation
- Events planning and Decorations
- Plumbing
- Electrical & Domestic Appliance Repairs.
Category 1
Middle stage entrepreneurs-
4 - 6 months Repayment Period
-
Bank / Mobile Money Repayment Mode
Category 2
Growth stage, large volume aggregation & production-
9 - 12 months Repayment Period
-
Bank / Mobile Money Repayment Mode
How the Tools to Create facility works
- An open call for applications
- Ongoing evaluations & approval process
- Feedback on applications.
- Ongoing business growth support by MOTIV
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE FACILITY.
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Why you should apply for a Tool to Create Toolkit
Alongside the financial investment, we shall provide business support and learning facilities to improve the productivity of successful beneficiaries in the following ways: investments in production, inventory and logistics technologies; support increasing the unit value of a product by product development; and increasing access to necessary post-production capacities.
The Facility also gives the entrepreneur access to;
- Workspace
- A technician job marketplace
- Able to join maker communities across Uganda
- To production training classes scheduled by category.
- To selected aggregated raw material supply chain network
- To the MoTIV national and global marketplace including the distribution network in the regions.
Process
Launch at MoTIV, Jinja, Gulu and Mbarara.
3rd March 2021
Application Window
5th March - 25th March
Implementation Window
April 2021 - October 2021
Results Evaluation (Phase 1)
November 2021 - December 2021
Phase 11 Launch
January 2022 onwards