If ESG were a person, at Letshego Uganda, he/she would not be seated in a boardroom quoting frameworks. It would be on the road, on the phone, and occasionally on a slightly unstable network connection: meeting customers where they are and figuring things out as it goes.
That, in many ways, captures how the institution is choosing to champion Environmental, Social and Governance principles: practical, embedded, and keen to remind everyone that sustainability is about people, not perfection.
ESG is not a side project or a glossy annual report chapter. It is treated as a going concern, woven into operations across the footprint, the value chain and, most importantly, the customer journey. From branch networks and agents to mobile platforms and partnerships with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), the lens is simple: does this improve access, fairness and long-term value?
Financial inclusion remains the social heartbeat of the business. Through a combination of physical presence and digital channels, Letshego Uganda continues to reach customers who have historically sat at the edge of formal finance. Today, over 70% of loan disbursements are enabled through digital and mobile-led channels, largely supported by partnerships with MNOs. This has translated into real end-mile reach that serves customers in peri-urban and rural locations without asking them to take a day off work just to access credit.
As CEO Giles Aijukwe notes, “Financial inclusion is not about how many loans we disburse, but about how many lives we meaningfully enable.” It is actually a statement that resonates internally because it reframes growth as impact, not just scale.
Across their footprint, ESG is being applied in small but deliberate ways. On the environmental front, digitisation has quietly become an ally. Over the past two years, paper-based processes have reduced by an estimated 40%, driven by e-statements, digital onboarding and mobile repayments. Fewer forms, fewer files, fewer trips back and forth, which are good for efficiency, good for customers, and good for the environment.
Socially, customer protection and responsible lending remain central. Product design increasingly considers affordability, customer cash-flow patterns and ethical collections. More than 70% of customer interactions are now resolved through structured feedback and resolution channels, ensuring issues are heard and addressed before they escalate.
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Governance underpins all of this. As Letshego Uganda scales partnerships across the ecosystem, governance frameworks ensure consistency in data privacy, pricing transparency and conduct. ESG responsibilities are not a preserve to Corporate Affairs; they are shared across Risk, Credit, Technology, Partnerships and People functions. In other words, sustainability does not live in one office; it travels with the product.
Importantly, this approach extends beyond Uganda. Across the broader Letshego Group footprint, there is growing alignment on ESG standards, reporting discipline and impact measurement. This allows local markets to contextualise ESG while still contributing to a shared sustainability narrative, one that values learning, comparability and accountability.
There is an honest recognition that ESG is a work in progress. Metrics are still being refined. Some lessons are learned the hard way. Nevertheless, the direction is clear. Over the next 3–5 years, the institution is committing to deepening digital financial inclusion to exceed 85% mobile-led disbursements, cutting operational paper use by over 60%, and embedding responsible lending metrics across all products.
To strengthen financial inclusion, Letshego Uganda is already integrating insurance solutions as a value-add for clients, ensuring that access to credit is paired with protection against unexpected shocks.
Internally, capability is being strengthened through staff training, shared accountability, and a culture that rewards ethical decision-making. These efforts align with Uganda’s National Development Plan III and broader African financial inclusion and sustainability aspirations.
