60,000 women-owned businesses get Shs815b

At least 60,000 women-owned businesses are set to benefit from a new Shs815b ($217m) government programme. The project targets to benefit close to two million women across the country.

The project, codenamed Generating Growth Opportunities and Production for Women Enterprises (GROW), is supported by the World Bank.

It seeks to provide women entrepreneurs with access to capital and training on business governance and financial management.

The project, implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, in partnership with Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), aims to enable the beneficiaries in 135 districts, 11 cities and refugee hosting districts to grow their enterprises.

The Gender ministry has said 60,000 female-owned enterprises (including 3,000 refugee-owned businesses); 280,000 women entrepreneurs and employees (including 42,000 refugees and 14,000 host community members) will benefit.

Also, 1.6 million people, including family members, communities, suppliers, service providers, and distributors of women enterprises products will indirectly benefit from the intervention, which will expire in December 2027.

Ms Betty Amongi, the minister of Gender, said it is an excellent project which offers an integrated package of services that will be provided to female-owned enterprises, rather than interventions that come in isolation.

“I am very happy that the project specifically focuses on enabling the female-owned enterprises to grow and transition to the next level of the business cycle,” the minister told leaders from northern Uganda during the project sensitization meeting in Oyam District on Monday.

She said the project is also complementing various other efforts of the government aimed at mobilising and building capacity of the women for socioeconomic transformation.

“I note that the interventions under GROW project are responding to the many challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, ranging from social, economic and psychological, including lack of networks, capital shortage and low capacity  to expand and grow their businesses,” Ms Amongi added.

However, some residents expressed skepticism about the ambitious initiative, which was launched by President Museveni on March 8, 2023.

Ms Stella Adero, the Dokolo women council chairperson, said: “Emyooga came, we were involved, but later abandoned. Parish Development Model came, the same thing happened. Let me hope this one will not be like that.”

Apac District Woman legislator Betty Engola noted that sustaining livelihood for the women is hard.

“So, we are also saying this GROW project will make an impact on the women they are targeting,” she said, urging local leaders to do all it takes to make sure the project is a success.

Ms Engola added: “Of course in the north, we have had so many programmes all these years. We come, we sit, we interact and we commit, but very little is achieved.”

Gulu City Woman MP Betty Aol Ochan said GROW should bridge the gaps in Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme and Social Assistant Grant for Empowerment because many women were left behind due to age limitations.

Ms Amongi, however, poured cold water on all the concerns raised by the local leaders from northern Uganda.  

“I want to pledge our commitment to the implementation of the project and delivery of the services as planned,” she said.

She said the project implementation requires much more effort than local leaders expended at project design level.