MBALE, Uganda — The Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park is set for a further boost following a strategic partnership between Equity Bank Uganda and Tian Tang Group aimed at expanding access to finance, strengthening businesses and creating more opportunities across the industrial ecosystem.
The partnership will see Equity Bank provide tailored financial solutions to businesses operating within and around the industrial park, including working capital, business loans and corporate banking services.
The financing is expected to help enterprises expand production, acquire machinery and strengthen their day-to-day operations.
Tian Tang Group has established a manufacturing ecosystem supporting more than 2,000 enterprises and providing employment to approximately 15,000 Ugandans.
Beyond financing, Equity Bank Uganda will support entrepreneurs and workers through financial literacy and business management training.
The training will focus on practical areas such as cash-flow management, bookkeeping, financial discipline and corporate governance.
According to the partners, improved financial management will enable businesses to maintain credible financial records, increase their access to formal credit and strengthen their prospects for sustainable growth.
The benefits of the partnership are expected to extend beyond the factories within the industrial park.
As manufacturing activities expand, demand is expected to increase for local suppliers, transporters, logistics companies, traders, construction firms, food businesses and other service providers in Mbale and surrounding communities.
Laurent Zhang, Administrative Manager at Tian Tang Group, said stronger collaboration between industrial enterprises and financial institutions would be critical to sustaining business growth and supporting economic transformation.
“By strengthening this relationship, we can unlock the financial solutions needed to accelerate enterprise development and drive economic transformation,” Zhang said.
Gift Shoko, Managing Director of Equity Bank Uganda, said the partnership reflects the bank’s commitment to supporting businesses and individuals as Uganda advances its industrialisation agenda.
“This initiative is dedicated to transforming lives within the local community, which directly aligns with our core mission to champion socio-economic prosperity and sustainable development,” Shoko said.
Equity Bank Uganda brings an extensive financial network to the partnership, with more than 50 branches, over 9,000 agency banking outlets and more than 2,000 merchants across the country.
The partnership comes at a time when Uganda is seeking to accelerate industrialisation, expand local value addition and create more employment opportunities through increased manufacturing activity.
For Mbale and neighbouring communities, the collaboration demonstrates how industrial investment, access to finance and enterprise development can work together to ensure that economic growth extends beyond factory gates to businesses, workers and families across the wider value chain.
The partnership is therefore expected to strengthen the capacity of enterprises within the Mbale Industrial Park while creating new opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to participate in the region’s growing industrial economy.
