Equity Bank is transforming lives across Uganda through inclusive financing — and one of its shining examples is Winfred Phiona Adong, a passionate entrepreneur from Soroti District, who is empowering women through manufacturing and construction.
At Hotel Africana in Kampala, during Equity Bank’s Customer Service Week Stakeholder Breakfast held on October 7, 2025, Adong stood out among the few invited clients.
The event, themed “Listening to the Sound of the River,” was designed to strengthen trust and relationships while gathering customer feedback to improve service delivery.
Adong, the proprietor of Ayoma Manufacturing and Construction Company, attended the engagement to explore new ways to expand her vision of “empowering struggling women, especially single mothers, and uplifting the entire community.”
Her entrepreneurial journey began three years ago when she left a corporate sales job in Kampala to pursue her dream.
“I’m a very ambitious person,” she recalls with a smile. “I decided it was time to relocate and invest my intellectual capacity elsewhere. So, I ventured into creating a manufacturing solutions enterprise.”
Breaking into the male-dominated construction industry was no easy task, but Adong was determined.
“Many women fear entering such sectors, but I wasn’t one of them,” she says confidently.
After several unsuccessful attempts to secure funding from other financial institutions, Equity Bank became the turning point.
Through the bank’s SME lending program, she accessed a UGX 300 million loan, which enabled her to establish her company formally.
“Equity made my start-up journey very smooth,” Adong says. “They didn’t just give me money — they offered training in capacity building and financial literacy, and the repayment terms were flexible. That support shaped my company into what it is today.”
With that boost, Ayoma Manufacturing and Construction Company was founded in January 2025.
Since then, it has executed several major projects, including constructing state-of-the-art waterborne toilets at Queen Elizabeth National Park and staff accommodation quarters at Mount Elgon National Park.
Encouraged by her success, Adong diversified into producing toilet paper under Ayoma Toilet Paper Industry Ltd, further expanding her impact.
“Everyone needs toilet paper,” she laughs. “We saw a viable opportunity and decided to go for it — and even plan to expand into stationery production.”
The new venture required heavy capital investment — about $330,000 — but once again, Equity Bank came through.
Through Contract Financing, the bank supported her in mobilizing raw materials such as pulpwood, making it easier to enter the competitive market.
Claver Serumaga, Executive Director of Equity Bank, says the institution’s approach is about building sustainable partnerships with entrepreneurs like Adong.
“We are reorganizing how we engage with our customers, following up on their progress, offering additional capacity support, because as they grow, we also grow,” he noted.
Today, Ayoma Manufacturing is targeting a tenfold growth, expanding its product line to include various stationery products and introducing automation in production.
Its toilet paper distribution network already covers Lira, Gulu, Mbale, Jinja, and will soon reach Kampala.
“I started small, but now I’m slowly changing lives,” Adong says proudly. “Most of my employees are single mothers, this work helps them support their families and gain financial independence.”
Her appeal to the Government of Uganda is clear: to grant tax holidays to indigenous manufacturers to help them grow and strengthen local industry.
