Uganda’s banking and financial services industry is turning to sports as a platform to strengthen professional relationships, promote employee wellbeing and foster collaboration across the sector.
The Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services (UIBFS), in partnership with the Uganda Bankers Association (UBA), yesterday launched the 2026 Annual Bankers’ Sports Gala under the theme “Together Towards Greatness.”
The launch was held at UBA offices in Muyenga, Kampala, marking the start of a series of sporting activities that will culminate in the grand finale on September 20.
The annual gala brings together staff from banks and other financial institutions to compete in various sporting disciplines while creating opportunities for networking and interaction outside the workplace.
UIBFS board chairman Godfrey Ssebaana said the gala provides financial sector professionals with an opportunity to build relationships and strengthen teamwork.
“Sports teach us values that are equally important in the workplace — teamwork, discipline, leadership, resilience, respect and fair play,” Ssebaana said.
He said the event allows participants to celebrate those values while strengthening the bonds within the financial services industry.
UIBFS chief executive officer Goretti Masadde said the gala goes beyond sporting competition, describing it as an avenue for promoting employee wellbeing and building stronger relationships across the sector.
“The banking industry is highly competitive, but there are areas where we are stronger when we come together. The Bankers’ Sports Gala is one such platform,” Masadde said.
She said although financial institutions compete against each other in business, employees can use sports to build friendships, professional networks and closer working relationships.
Masadde said collaboration within the sector is particularly important as the industry supports Uganda’s economic transformation under the government’s 10-fold growth agenda.
Representing Bank of Uganda governor Michael Atingi-Ego, who is the patron of UIBFS, the central bank’s executive director for People, Culture and Administration, Oscar Kiiza, commended the institute for sustaining the annual gala.
Kiiza said the event gives professionals in the financial sector an opportunity to network and build relationships that can contribute to the growth of their respective institutions.
He said sports promote discipline, wellness, teamwork, respect for rules and fair play, values that are equally important in professional and personal life.
“Professionals play an important role in the growth of their institutions and, therefore, there is a need for them to collaborate,” Kiiza said.
The 2026 gala will feature several sporting disciplines, giving employees from participating institutions an opportunity to showcase their talents while competing in a spirit of fair play.
The organisers have urged banks and other financial institutions to register teams and encourage their staff to participate in the activities.
A total of 28 institutions are taking part in this year’s gala. They include Bank of Uganda and the Financial Intelligence Authority, as well as Wazalendo SACCO, the Forex Bureau and Money Remittances Association and Sky Reinsurance Brokers.
The organisers said the event is intended to promote healthy lifestyles, employee engagement, teamwork and networking while strengthening collaboration within Uganda’s banking and financial services industry.
Under the theme “Together Towards Greatness,” the gala seeks to underline the importance of investing in people and collaboration as building blocks for a stronger financial services sector.
