Not long ago, my friend and I were chatting about what investments a person can easily make without taking big risks.
I quickly told him about government securities, not because I am a finance guru but because I came to appreciate them when I got involved in building Uganda’s first online Treasury Securities platform. Prior to doing so, I also did not really understand how treasury bills and bonds worked.
But as I explained to my friend that evening, government securities are safe, but they are also more accessible than most people realise.
Firstly, I shall define what these securities are: Treasury bills (T-bills) are short-term investments issued by government through Bank of Uganda. They typically run for 91 days (3 months), 182 days (6 months), or 364 days (1 year), while treasury bonds, are long-term investments with maturities ranging from 2 years to 20 years. Both are backed by government, making them among the safest investment vehicles available.
Now, despite their safe nature, treasuries have remained little known by everyday Ugandans because of barriers such as the lack of awareness, and the misconception that you need lots of money to participate.
Technology is now bridging this gap by digitizing access to government securities, and has turned what was once an intimidating, physical process into something anyone with a phone or laptop can use.
I had the great privilege of contributing to this shift through my work on the Housing Finance Bank Treasury Securities Portal. The vision was simple: remove friction, make the process transparent, and open the door to a much wider pool of investors.
Through this portal, people can now invest from as little as UGX 100,000 without extra paperwork and this gives access to treasury bills and bonds with the option to also quicky open a CSD account that is required to transact in treasuries.
This seemingly small step in financial innovation, has translated into an impactfully powerful opportunity that opens the door for something that was once reserved for institutions, and makes it available to ordinary citizens.
In Uganda, when we talk about financial inclusion and digital migration, the conversation, while plausible, many times stops at opening accounts or expanding access to mobile money but it is not enough for people to only store money securely, there must also be opportunities to grow the money. This underscores the importance of investment platforms. They proliferate wealth-building tools and give everyone a chance to participate in the financial markets.
For Ugandans everywhere, this could mean starting a habit of investing in treasury bills rather than leaving savings idle or having no savings at all. For a business owner, it could mean diversifying cash reserves into safe instruments.
The Housing Finance Bank Treasury Securities Portal is just the beginning of such endeavors. The next frontier is integrating such services with mobile money systems, including such financial literacy directly into education, and enabling diaspora-based Ugandans to invest seamlessly from abroad.
Looking back at my conversation, I realise that it shall take greater awareness and accessibility to enable more people access treasury securities and other financial tools.
By making these tools more accessible via technological innovations, we are actively reshaping the culture of investment in Uganda. Financial inclusion and digital migration are no longer only about having a bank account or mobile money access it is now more about empowering citizens with the tools to build resilient financial futures.
And I am personally proud to have played a part in opening that door. Cheers!
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