The Support to Agricultural Revitalization & Transformation (START) is a blended finance facility providing a customized mix of Business Development Services, project development and finance structuring services, and financial products in the form of concessional and zero interest loans, technical assistance grants and partial credit guarantees. The START Facility is implemented by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in partnership with Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and Uganda Development Bank Ltd (UDB)
Objectives
Offer access to technical assistance and affordable medium-term finance for agricultural value adding projects in Northern Uganda.
Support projects that contribute to economic empowerment of women and youth.
Encourage projects that aim at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, promote green economy.
Contribute to development of refugee hosting areas and leverage the refugee potential for local development.
Make START a sustainable and adequately capitalized facility to provide technical assistance and capital to SME agrobusinesses nationally
START Facility is designed to support the implementation of the food security and nutrition component of the Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU) programme by improving access to finance for small and medium enterprises engaged in agricultural value addition in Northern Uganda. DINU programme supported by the European Union under the oversight of the Office of the Prime Minister whose overall goal is to consolidate stability in Northern Uganda, eradicate poverty and undernutrition, and strengthen the foundations for sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development.
