Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: A Call to Embrace All GROW Project Components

By Alex Byakatonda, Communications Officer – Kabale

Swizeen Ndyabawe, the Kabale Senior Labour Officer and focal person for the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) project, has urged Community Development Officers (CDOs) in sub-counties and town councils to broaden awareness among rural women entrepreneurs about the full spectrum of GROW project components.

He highlighted that while many women focus on the loan aspect, other equally beneficial components, including grants, remain underutilized due to information gaps.​

During a sensitization meeting held today in the District Chairperson’s boardroom, Ndyabawe emphasized that the GROW project, a collaboration between the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, comprises several key components designed to support women entrepreneurs. These include:​

Financial Support: Providing loans ranging from 4 to 200 million Ugandan Shillings at interest rates of 10% or lower, repayable over two years. This component aims to facilitate the transition of women-led businesses from micro to medium enterprises by addressing financial constraints.​

Training and Capacity Building: Offering technical skills, life skills, and business advisory services to empower women with the knowledge and expertise needed to enhance their business operations.​

Infrastructure Development: Developing enabling infrastructure, including common user facilities and childcare centers, to create a supportive environment for women entrepreneurs to thrive.​

Ndyabawe observed that the focus has predominantly been on the financial component, with many women overlooking the additional support available through training and infrastructure development. She stressed the importance of disseminating comprehensive information about all project components to ensure that women entrepreneurs can fully leverage the opportunities provided by the GROW project.​

By embracing the full range of GROW project offerings, women entrepreneurs in rural areas can access the resources and support needed to expand and sustain their businesses, thereby contributing to economic growth and empowerment within their communities.​

Gordon Manzi, the Principal Assistant Secretary in the office of the Chief Administrative Officer, observed that since the core mandate of the CDOs is mobilize communities to benefit from government programs, they should take it upon themselves to mobilize and encourage women in businesses to express interest in all the  GROW project components.

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