KAMPALA, Uganda — Pearl Bank has tightened its grip on the title of Uganda’s primary agricultural financier, securing a dual victory at the Aceli Africa Stakeholder Roundtable that marks a significant milestone in the institution’s transition from its state-savings roots.
The bank, which recently shed its identity as PostBank Uganda, was named Best Agri-SME Lender during the Feb. 11 session in Kampala. The accolade was paired with an individual honor for Julius Akais, the bank’s supervisor of agriculture and partnerships, who was named Agri-SME Lending Champion for his work in expanding credit access to the nation’s often-underserved agribusinesses.
Related posts
The double win serves as a statistical validation of a broader strategic shift. Since 2020, Pearl Bank has seen its agricultural portfolio expand by 180 percent, a growth rate fueled by its pivot toward small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that form the backbone of the Ugandan economy.
Julius Kakeeto, Pearl Bank’s managing director, attributed the success to a deliberate move away from traditional, rigid banking models toward “tailored products” such as seasonal working capital loans and risk-sharing facilities. These tools, Kakeeto noted, are essential for rural communities adopting climate-smart practices but lacking the collateral typically required by commercial lenders.
The roundtable, which drew 100 leaders from the Bank of Uganda and the Uganda Bankers Association, also highlighted the broader impact of Aceli Africa’s first five years in the region. Since its 2020 launch, Aceli has partnered with 19 financial institutions to mobilize $101 million in capital. This influx of credit has supported more than 350,000 smallholder farmers and generated over $514 million in crop purchases and wages.
Pearl Bank’s dominance at the awards follows a string of previous accolades, including its recognition as the best-performing bank under the Bank of Uganda’s Agriculture Credit Facility. The bank’s leadership emphasized that this success is central to its five-year strategic plan, which included last year’s rebrand and a recent global sustainability certification from the European Organization for Sustainable Development.
With 59 branches and a network of 8,000 agents, the bank is positioning itself as a regional model for how state-owned institutions can use targeted, sustainable lending to drive national development goals while maintaining commercial viability.
