Ugandan small and medium-sized businesses are among those set to benefit from a new agreement between Absa Group and DHL Express aimed at helping firms across sub-Saharan Africa trade beyond their borders.
Absa, whose subsidiary Absa Bank Uganda serves businesses in the country, has signed a memorandum of understanding with DHL Express, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, to give entrepreneurs the logistics knowledge, financing and digital tools they need to reach regional and global markets. The deal, signed in Johannesburg, covers the ten African countries where Absa operates, Uganda among them.
The partnership falls under DHL’s GoTrade programme, which targets the obstacles that commonly shut smaller firms out of international trade, chief among them limited logistics know-how, difficulty accessing finance, complex regulations and weak digital readiness. These are familiar hurdles for many Ugandan exporters, particularly those trying to move goods into regional markets or fulfil online orders abroad.
Under the arrangement, DHL will provide facilitators and trade-lane experts to train businesses within Absa’s customer base, drawing on a curriculum called “Trade and Grow Beyond Borders” made up of 14 modules pitched at firms at different stages of growth. The two companies also plan to develop banking and logistics packages tailored to cross-border traders, including those adopting greener supply-chain practices.
“Our main goal is to ensure we provide our African SMEs with the tools they need to access and participate in the global marketplace,” said Hennie Heymans, chief executive of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, adding that pairing logistics with financial and digital services would help entrepreneurs grow beyond local markets.
Faisal Mkhize, Absa’s managing executive for business development in pan-African business banking, said small businesses were central to the continent’s economy. “SMEs are the engine of inclusive growth in Africa, creating jobs, strengthening communities and expanding the continent’s participation in global trade,” he said, adding that the deal would give customers practical access to trade knowledge, e-commerce tools and sustainable solutions.
Small businesses are widely regarded as the backbone of Uganda’s economy, employing the bulk of the country’s workforce, yet many struggle to expand beyond local trade because of financing gaps and the cost and complexity of moving goods across borders. Initiatives that link banking to logistics are seen as one way to help such firms tap into markets opened up by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Absa, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, is one of Africa’s largest financial services groups, with operations in ten countries including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. DHL Group reported revenues of about €82.9bn in 2025 and employs some 389,000 people worldwide. The companies said the agreement leaves room for further cooperation on new technologies and process improvements to widen support for small businesses across the continent.
