Arova Producers Cooperative gets Shs 1bln boost to support women’s businesses under GROW project
LIRA CITY, September 30, 2026 — The Arova Producers Cooperative Society Limited in Lira City has received an additional Shs 1 billion under the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises [GROW] project, a World Bank-funded initiative aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs across Uganda.
The cooperative, a farmer-owned SACCO, is among the participating financial institutions selected by the government to provide GROW loans to women entrepreneurs. Other financial institutions offering loans ranging from Shs 2 million to Shs 200 million include Centenary Bank, Stanbic Bank, Finance Trust Bank, DFCU Bank, Pearl Bank, Pride Bank, UGAFODE Microfinance and Ebo SACCO, among others.
The US$ 217 million [about Shs 851.4 billion] project seeks to increase women’s access to entrepreneurial services and help them grow their enterprises from micro to small and from small to medium-sized businesses in targeted areas, including refugee-hosting districts.
The project is being implemented by the Private Sector Foundation Uganda [PSFU] in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
Speaking during a training session for beneficiaries at the Arova Producers Cooperative Society offices in Lira City, Denis Tukahikaho, the GROW technical and financial specialist at PSFU, said the project is intended to help women expand their existing businesses into larger enterprises capable of creating jobs and increasing household incomes.
Tukahikaho said the project had so far disbursed Shs 160 billion to women entrepreneurs to boost their businesses since its inception.
He said the initiative, which was launched by President Yoweri Museveni in March 2023 and is funded by the World Bank, had allocated Shs 183 billion for women’s business development.
Tukahikaho said PSFU was engaged by the government to ensure that the funds reach beneficiaries in a transparent and accountable manner and are protected from fraud and corruption.
“The process is clear because funds are disbursed from the World Bank through the Ministry of Finance directly to participating commercial banks and SACCOs to beneficiaries,” he said.
He said women whose businesses require larger loans could also be linked to other financial institutions.
He noted that Arova has a lending limit of Shs 30 million per woman and urged beneficiaries to use digital repayment systems to avoid travelling long distances to make loan payments.
Arova General Manager Brenda Akello Komagum commended the World Bank and PSFU for the project, saying the programme is contributing to improved livelihoods among women, families and communities in the Lango sub-region.
She said the women beneficiaries had been trained in financial management, with a focus on how to effectively utilise GROW financing to strengthen and expand their businesses.
https://thecooperator.news/kyankwanzi-women-entrepreneurs-trained-to-access-grow-project-funds/
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