GROW project supports women entrepreneurs, but challenges persist

25 November 2025, 10:21 am

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) project arrived at a crucial time, offering support to Ugandan women seeking to strengthen and expand their businesses. According to the 2024 population census, women make up 51% of Uganda’s population, highlighting the importance of government initiatives that enable women to participate fully in the economy.

Speaking recently in Kampala, the World Bank Country Manager for Uganda, Ms Francisca Ayodeji, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to supporting Uganda’s efforts towards women’s economic empowerment.

“Around the world, governments, regulators and financial institutions increasingly recognise that women’s empowerment is not a side issue; it is central to development, prosperity and sustainability,” she said. She highlighted the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code, launched during the 2023 World Bank–IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakesh, as a global initiative addressing women’s access to finance. The Code brings together financial service providers, regulators, policymakers and development partners to analyse sex-disaggregated data and bridge gaps in financial inclusion.

Ms Ayodeji emphasised that the World Bank’s work in Uganda reflects a deep, shared commitment to gender equality. “Gender equality is not treated as a cross-cutting theme; it is a core pillar of development strategy. When a woman entrepreneur succeeds, her community prospers, and when the community prospers, nations rise,” she said.

The GROW project was specifically designed to address obstacles that have long hindered women entrepreneurs, including limited business management skills, inadequate access to affordable capital, lack of appropriate manufacturing infrastructure, and cultural norms that discourage women from engaging in business. For women like Apio Rebecca, a hardware shop owner in Lira City, GROW has opened doors. She says the project has enabled her to run a business that contributes significantly to her household’s well-being.

However, despite its impact, several women across Uganda are yet to benefit. During President Yoweri Museveni’s recent campaign in the Busoga sub-region, the Woman MP for Kamuli District, Rt Hon Rebecca Kadaga, noted that many women in her region had not accessed the project. She said her efforts to engage the responsible ministry had yielded little and urged the President to intervene to ensure equitable access.

In Wakiso District, entrepreneur Harriet Nankya is still waiting for her turn. “When the GROW project was launched in 2023, I was excited and believed I would be among the first beneficiaries,” she said. “However, despite repeated attempts, we are always told to wait. We urge the ministry to streamline the process so it benefits all of us. We remain optimistic that we will benefit before the project ends in 2027.”

As the GROW project continues to roll out, many women remain hopeful that its promise will reach every corner of the country, ensuring that no entrepreneur is left behind.