It was a night of celebration, glitz, and glamour on December 17, 2025, as Mkaziprenuer recognised outstanding Ugandan female entrepreneurs in the capital Kampala. Mkaziprenuer is a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering female entrepreneurs.
Running in their fifth edition, the Mkaziprenuer Impact Awards are organised annually to celebrate women-led businesses making an impactful contribution in Uganda and beyond.
The award competition consisted of 11 categories, with the winners taking home plaques and public recognition of their businesses.
Below is the list of the winners of the different category awards.
| No. | CATEGORY | WINNER | COMPANY | IMPACTFUL WORK |
| 1. | Community/Social Impact | Sarah Seruwagi | Oak Knit Manufacturers | From hand-knitted work to industrial production, she produces school sweaters, corporate T-shirts and trousers. The company has grown into a vocational skills institute training youth and women. |
| 2. | Use of Technology | Mariyah Luzinda | MpaMpe | An innovative Ugandan crowdfunding platform designed to help people raise funds with complete transparency and ease. |
| 3. | Diversity and Inclusion | Amynata Najjingo | Amylia Clothing | Runs a creative social enterprise that designs, makes and sells handcrafted products through its brands Amylia Clothing, Amylia Homes and Amylia Kids. The studio’s core mission is to create meaningful livelihoods through ethical production and skills development. |
| 4. | Agricultural Impact | Merab Manige | Super Chillo Investments | Advances farming as a business through value addition. The company specializes in mushrooms, pumpkins, and the production of organic fertilizers and pesticides from mushroom waste. |
| 5. | Environmental Impact | Nakadama Viola | Nutricycle Farm Uganda | Transforms food waste into nutritious animal feed through black soldier fly innovation. Through her work, she champions sustainable agriculture, food security, climate action and rural economic empowerment. |
| 6. | Innovative Business | Sandra Naluzze | Clearmorn Uganda | Produces a Hangover Relief Drink in response to the need for youth hangovers to be controlled. The drink is made from natural ingredients, thereby championing wellness. |
| 7. | Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur, Central Region | Cerinah Tugume | Serene Beauty | Provides high-quality, accessible beauty solutions tailored to local needs. The brand emphasizes enhancing natural beauty and offering a serene customer experience within the competitive Ugandan beauty industry. |
| 8. | Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur, Eastern | Meridah Nandudu | Bayaaya Specialty Coffee | Through her social enterprise, empowers over 600 women farmers by providing training and fair, premium prices for their high-quality arabica coffee beans. |
| 9. | Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur, Western | Ann Kalinzi | Tooro Gallery Foundation | Empowers local women and youth through the traditional arts. By leveraging the local skill of basket weaving, the Foundation created sustainable livelihoods for over 700 artisans who use natural materials to produce market-ready contemporary and traditional designs. |
| 10. | Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur, Northern | Noella Victoria Ojara | Divine Organic Foods | Combats malnutrition in vulnerable communities by processing local roots and tubers, like cassava and potatoes, into affordable, nutrient-dense food products. Through her “Amaro” brand, she promotes climate-resilient agriculture and inclusive economic development in northern Uganda |
| 11. | Emerging Young Entrepreneur | Monic Tumusiime | Solvur Paints Limited | Manufactures paints and coating solutions for diverse residential, commercial and industrial clients. The company utilizes modern technology, skilled personnel and premium raw materials to produce high quality products that meet international standards |
Ms Tina Wamala, the communications officer at the British High Commission in Uganda, who doubled as the awards chief judge, said the recognition will help the female entrepreneurs score future partnerships and funding.
Speaking about the criteria used to select the winners, Ms Wamala said her team, including two other judges, based on originality of the initiatives, with the main key aspect being innovation and social impact.
“We were looking out for organisations creating impact in their communities in terms of job creation and growth,” she said, adding, “But, it was a vigorous [competition] and not easy to choose the best overall winners because everyone’s business thought process was unique, therefore, making it hard to choose the overall winners.”
The chief guest at the 2025 awards, Ian King, the Deputy Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Uganda, encouraged female entrepreneurs to channel their energies into building lasting legacy businesses that will grow beyond them as founders, and while doing so, continuously tap into the several opportunities award ceremonies provide.
“Build legacy businesses while building networks and supporting one another,” Mr King said.
One of the night’s winners, Ms Sandra Naluzze of Clearmorn Uganda, told Menterprise Africa that winning the award is “a great morale boost to keep pushing on amidst the challenges,” she keeps on facing in her business, which makes a non-alcoholic energised drink that helps relieve hangover symptoms.
On her part, Aminata Najjingo of Amylia Studio, who emerged as the winner in the diversity and inclusion category, and whose organisation works with individuals who have hearing impairments, said, “Winning this award is a validation of all the work we have been putting in throughout the years.”
The award show, a mixture of business and pleasure, was a success with a full-house attendance.
Ms Immaculate Nakyeyune, the founder of Mkaziprenuer, said she hopes that the awards and the recognition of the winners’ hard work motivate them to grow their businesses.
