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Rural Agribusiness Scales Up With Youth and Women at the Core

Hilary Maniku

Position:

Founder

Company:

Olube Agro Dealers

Programme:

Aspire Business Growth Programme

Country:

Uganda

What began as a small agribusiness in Uganda’s Terego District has grown into a trusted partner for farmers across the region. Founded by Hillary Maniku, Olube Agro Dealers supports smallholder farmers to boost productivity and income through quality inputs, practical training, and stronger links to markets.

Hillary was inspired to start Olube Agro Dealers after witnessing the challenges rural farmers faced, ranging from counterfeit products to limited technical support. His mission was clear: to shift farming from subsistence to a profitable, climate-smart enterprise. By offering authentic agricultural products, advisory services, and market connections, the business set out to boost productivity and resilience among smallholder farmers.

Before joining the Aspire programme, Olube Agro Dealers grappled with gaps in systems and structure, especially financial management. Although driven by a deep commitment to farmers, the absence of systems limited growth, decision-making, and consistency. The business also needed to refine its branding and customer segmentation to position itself as a trusted partner for its target partners. 


The Aspire programme enabled Hillary introduce structured business practices that transformed operations. Particularly, he found the Customer Segment Matrix, Business Model Canvas, and Growth Tracker really helpful in clarifying their value proposition, streamline workflows, and strengthen financial discipline. Growth goals, KPI tracking, and a renewed focus on customer service became central to Olube Agro Dealers' approach.


“One of the most impactful lessons was learning to treat my business as a separate entity from me, the founder. This shift has enabled me to introduce formal structures with clear roles and strengthen governance. This, like recordkeeping, monthly performance reviews, and customer feedback loops, are things we do on day-to-day operations.’’ says Hillary.


Reflecting on the journey, Hillary continues to share that, "The Aspire Programme was a turning point. It gave us clarity, confidence, and capacity. We moved from running informally to becoming a structured, impact-driven agribusiness. Personally, I grew as a leader, learning to delegate, manage teams, and make data-driven decisions. For our farmers, this transformation meant better services, better yields, and better incomes. Aspire didn’t just grow our business; it strengthened our community."




“Aspire didn’t just grow our business; it strengthened our community. We moved from running informally to becoming a structured, impact-driven agribusiness. For our farmers, this transformation meant better services, better yields, and better incomes.”


Post-Aspire, Olube Agro Dealer experienced a 40% revenue increase, growing from $41,341 in 2023 to $57,797 in 2024. This growth was driven by improved customer engagement, stronger market linkages, and better inventory planning. The team expanded from 15 to 25 employees, including six field agents, four of whom are youth under 30 and three women, focused on community mobilization, agronomy training, and product distribution.​


Olube Agro Dealer’s growth has positively impacted over 200 local farmers through improved access to markets, training, and inputs. One notable example is a women’s VSLA group in Drimveni that, after adopting Olube’s tomato and watermelon farming techniques, earned over UGX 2,000,000 in a single season, strengthening both food security and household incomes.


Looking ahead, Hilary is excited to enable even more farmers, many of them women and refugees in rural Uganda, with the tools and knowledge to practice climate-smart agriculture. As a community champion, he is passionate about expanding their farmer field school to promote sustainable methods like mulching, integrated pest management, and the use of organic fertilizers, helping reduce chemical use and protect local biodiversity. For Hilary, the future is about empowering his community to be more resilient.



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