Issued by: Troi Media
Housing Finance Bank won two awards for its commitment to gender equality in the workplace at the 2024 edition of the Empower Her initiative, organised by Nation Media Group and KPMG under the theme “Achieving an Equal Future”. The awards recognise the work of organisations that advance women through structural and systemic measures and the application of strategic options.
The bank was recognised in the “Empower Her” and “Woman of the Future” categories for its significant representation of women in leadership and decision-making roles, and for its unique and impactful initiatives to promote gender balance in the workplace.
The Empower Her awards recognise organisations across a range of sectors that are tackling the underlying inequalities that hold women back from leadership and creating a more just, equal and prosperous world where women and girls have the same opportunities, rights, and influence as their male counterparts.
Peace Piwang, chief human resource officer at Housing Finance Bank, said it was an honour for the bank to be recognised for its efforts in fostering an environment where people have equal opportunities to grow and succeed.
“These accolades affirm the effectiveness of our efforts to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion within our organisation. We remain committed to continuously adopting practices that ensure equality in employment and foster a workplace culture that values and empowers every member of our team, driving innovation and excellence at all levels of our organisation,” said Ms Piwang.
The awards confirm the bank’s commitment to promoting gender equality, having previously won the Gold Award under the United Nations Development Programme’s Gender Equality Seal Programme for Private Enterprises, for its deliberate focus on equal opportunities, with women making up 50 per cent of all teams at board and senior management level, as well as the overall workforce.
Michael Mugabi, managing director of Housing Finance Bank, said: “Our success as an institution is inextricably linked to the empowerment of all our employees, regardless of gender. By championing initiatives that promote gender equality and create pathways for women’s advancement, we not only strengthen our organisational resilience but also contribute to the broader socio-economic development of our communities.”
Mr Mugabi added that the bank’s gender equality efforts are not only aimed at its employees, but also at Ugandan women seeking access to affordable housing and growing their businesses.
“Housing Finance Bank is committed to developing products and partnering with organisations to reduce gender inequality in Uganda,” said Mr Mugabi. “This is why we have developed an incremental home loan solution called Zimba Mpola Mpola, which can help women, regardless of their income level, to become first-time homeowners. But we also know that Ugandan women are very entrepreneurial, so we have partnered with the European Investment Bank to provide €50 million in affordable credit lines and technical assistance to support women-owned businesses in the country.”
Taken together, these efforts align with the bank’s goal of enabling sustainable financial independence through home ownership and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly gender equality (SDG 5), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), reducing inequalities (SDG 10) and partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).
