Standing at the edge of a landing site in Buvuma, Harriet Nakyeyune pulls out her phone and checks the Abavubi app. She has three orders for dried Nile perch from buyers in Kampala, and the app shows her the current market rate per kilogram — 14% higher than what the middleman who visited yesterday offered her. She declines the middleman's offer and ships directly.
This scene, unimaginable five years ago in one of Uganda's most remote island districts, is becoming increasingly common in KWDT communities. Digital financial tools and market-access platforms are changing the economics of small-scale fish trading — if women can access and use them.
The Digital Divide in Fishing Communities
Uganda's digital economy has grown rapidly, but the benefits have been deeply unequal. Women in rural and island fishing communities face compounding barriers: low literacy rates, limited smartphone ownership, unreliable mobile network coverage, and deep-rooted social norms that have historically kept women away from financial decision-making.
With support from GIZ's Responsible Fisheries Business Chain (RFBCP) project, KWDT trained and graduated 600 participants in Business Development Services (BDS) — combining financial literacy, marketing skills, and digital tool training in a programme designed around the realities of women in the fish value chain.
Abavubi: A Digital Platform Built for Fisherfolk
The Abavubi app — developed with input from fishing communities — allows women to record their catches and sales, access real-time market prices, connect with verified buyers, and track their business performance over time. KWDT's role has been to train women to use the platform confidently and integrate it into their existing group management practices.
Over 80% of BDS training participants reported applying the content to their businesses within three months of completing the programme. Women who adopted digital record-keeping reported greater confidence in negotiations with buyers and money lenders — a direct impact on their economic autonomy.
Mobile Money: Banking the Unbanked
Mobile money platforms like MTN MoMo have transformed access to financial services for KWDT members who previously had no safe way to save, receive payments, or access credit. KWDT's groups have increasingly adopted mobile money as their primary mechanism for managing revolving scheme repayments and group savings pools.
This shift has improved financial transparency within groups and reduced the risk of embezzlement — a practical governance benefit that has strengthened trust and cohesion in women's groups.
What Comes Next: Scaling Digital Empowerment
KWDT is exploring partnerships to bring solar-powered community connectivity hubs to its most remote landing sites — removing the network coverage barrier that remains the single greatest constraint on digital adoption in island communities.
We are also working with partners to develop a digital dashboard that allows KWDT members to track their collective impact data — from fish volumes sold to school enrolment rates — giving communities ownership over the evidence of their own transformation.