President Yoweri Museveni has long championed value addition, emphasising that young Ugandan entrepreneurs lose significant profits by selling their agricultural products raw to international markets.
His advocacy has paved the way for young innovators to receive support from various avenues, including non-governmental organisations committed to alleviating poverty.
One such entrepreneur is Sandra Owomugisha Musumba. Despite trying multiple ventures after completing her procurement and logistics course at Kyambogo University, none bore fruit.
That changed when she ventured into rabbit farming, a business she later branded as Iyosa Rabbit Meat. Her enterprise specialises in samosas, wraps, pizza, as well as fried and grilled rabbit meat.
“My journey with rabbit meat was unplanned. Initially, I was into decoration and design, but towards the end of 2019, I wanted to explore something new,” Owomugisha recalls.
Initially, she had considered poultry farming. However, during a visit to a successful farm, a tutor offered her a fresh perspective that altered her career path.
“The tutor advised me to think outside the box and avoid unnecessary competition. That’s how I ended up considering rabbit farming,” Owomugisha says.
Starting with a capital of sh3.5m, she set up her business in a small compound with 150 rabbits.
Over time, the farm expanded to house 600. Encouraged by this growth, she opened Iyosa Restaurant in Wandegeya, Kampala, dedicated solely to rabbit-based cuisine.
Initially, the restaurant depended on her farm’s supply. However, as demand for rabbit meat surged, she quickly ran out of stock.
To meet this rising demand, she began sourcing rabbits from other farmers, realising that many were struggling to find buyers for their produce.
“I ventured into value addition, because I understood that many farmers were stuck with their rabbit meat, unsure of how to market it,” she says.
Since integrating value addition into her business, demand has tripled and supply has increased accordingly.
This success has reinforced her belief that expanding to more branches will help improve customer satisfaction and service efficiency.
Owomugisha is among the beneficiaries of the Skilling in Agripreneurship for Increased Youth Employment (SAY) project, implemented by the AVSI Foundation, with funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
According to Moses Cik, the chief of party for the SAY project, the initiative has collaborated with 60 local agribusinesses and institutions since 2020 to promote agricultural entrepreneurship among young people.
Between 2020 and 2024, the project skilled 19,381 youth in various agricultural value chains. Of these, 8,387 were assessed and 7,934 received certification from the Directorate of Industrial Training.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Owumugisha’s restaurant serves rabbit-based cuisine
