dfcu Bank has launched its inaugural Report to Society 2025, documenting its contribution to Uganda’s economic development through financing 6,527 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), supporting more than 80,000 women entrepreneurs through its Women in Business programme and expanding access to community healthcare.
The report, launched at Serena Hotel in Kigo, brings together the bank’s financial inclusion, enterprise development, healthcare and environmental initiatives, positioning accountability for social and economic impact alongside financial performance.
Dr Winifred Mary Tarinyeba Kiryabwire, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of dfcu Bank Limited, said the publication would help stakeholders assess the institution’s contribution to Uganda’s development while strengthening transparency and responsible decision-making.
“For more than six decades, dfcu has been part of Uganda’s economic transformation, supporting businesses, expanding financial inclusion and creating opportunities for individuals and communities,” she said. “We are sharing these results not simply to celebrate our progress, but to give our stakeholders a basis on which to assess our contribution and challenge us to do more.”
The report highlights the bank’s financing of 6,527 SMEs in 2025, underscoring its role in supporting enterprises across production, trade and services. It also documents the work of dfcu Foundation, which has supported more than 4,000 enterprises and reached over 80,000 beneficiaries since 2018, the majority of them women and young people.
According to Dr James Ssemwanga, Chairperson of dfcu Foundation, the institution is focusing on businesses in the “missing middle”enterprises that have moved beyond survival but require additional financing, market access, partnerships and business-development support to expand.
“In 2025, we facilitated approximately UGX 38 billion in credit, helping enterprises access formal financial services and invest in growth,” he said.
The report records UGX 38.08 billion in financing facilitated through the Foundation. Its ambition for 2025–2030 is to support more than 100,000 additional beneficiaries by strengthening enterprises, connecting value chains and developing productive market ecosystems.
Healthcare and environmental initiatives
Beyond business financing, dfcu has committed UGX 1 billion to a three-year partnership with Rotary Uganda to expand access to preventive healthcare through community medical camps.
The interventions have reached more than 25,000 Ugandans, according to the report’s campaign figures. Services include outpatient consultations, diagnostic tests, medicines, dental and eye care, health education and referrals, as well as screening for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, HIV, cancer and sickle cell disease.
Recent outreaches have taken place in Jinja, Mbuya, Mutungo, Kasenyi Landing Site and Kamwokya.
The report also highlights environmental initiatives, including 62,000 trees reportedly planted or distributed in 2025. Further information on tree survival rates, maintenance and long-term environmental outcomes would help stakeholders assess the initiative’s lasting impact.
Accountability beyond financial performance
Charles M. Mudiwa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of dfcu Bank Limited, said the report reflected the institution’s responsibility to account for the resources and trust entrusted to it by customers, investors and the wider public.
“Our customers and stakeholders entrust us with their money, their businesses and their confidence. We therefore have a responsibility to account for how we use those resources and what they help us achieve,” he said.
Mudiwa added that the report consolidated impact stories and key figures from the bank’s work, providing stakeholders with a broader view of its contribution beyond financial products and services.
Jimmy D. Mugerwa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of dfcu Limited, the bank’s holding company, said the report marked a step towards linking financial performance with responsible corporate citizenship and long-term societal impact.
He said the group’s success should also be reflected in the opportunities it creates, the resilience of communities it serves and its contribution to Uganda’s economic future.
The publication comes amid growing emphasis on environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations in banking, including the need for institutions to demonstrate how their decisions affect businesses, livelihoods, communities and the environment.
Helena Mayanja, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at dfcu Bank, said the report connected the institution’s initiatives across women’s entrepreneurship, SME financing, healthcare, enterprise development and environmental programmes with the results recorded.
The report also marks a step towards strengthening dfcu’s sustainability reporting and accountability practices. Its longer-term value will depend on continued disclosure, credible measurement and the ability of stakeholders to assess the outcomes of the programmes documented.
Established in 1964 as a development finance institution, dfcu has supported Uganda’s economic development across agriculture, manufacturing, education, health, tourism, construction, transport and trade.
