MASINDI, February 15, 2026 — Women entrepreneurs in Masindi District have been encouraged to take advantage of funds provided under government’s Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises [GROW] project.
Officially launched in March 2023 by Yoweri Museveni, the GROW project is a Government of Uganda initiative designed to respond to the needs of women entrepreneurs seeking to expand their businesses, sustain self-employment and create more jobs.
During a recent meeting at the Masindi district headquarters, Nebert Mwebesa, Masindi Branch Manager for Pride Bank, urged women business owners to access the funds before the end of March this year, noting that Shs 16 billion has been allocated to women in the Bunyoro sub-region.
Mwebesa whose bank is one of several others selected to participate in the project, emphasised that any unutilised funds would be returned to the Central Government coffers after March.
He explained that individuals can borrow between Shs 4 million and Shs 50 million. He added that only Shs 30,000 is required to process the loan, which is repayable within one year at an annual interest rate of 10 per cent.
Eligible applicants include individual businesswomen, refugee entrepreneurs and women’s groups with 18 or more members.
He also advised women entrepreneurs to maintain proper business records to support applications for larger loans.
Clare Businge Wamara, the GROW project Focal Person, speaking at the same meeting, called on women entrepreneurs to support one another in their business ventures in order to foster development and strengthen their enterprises.
She encouraged them to mobilise more businesswomen to apply for the loans, citing the relatively low interest rate.
However, Sarah Gonzaga, Chairperson of the Women’s Council for Masindi district, expressed concern about low morale among women entrepreneurs since the GROW project began. She noted that many women had previously failed to benefit from loan promises made by various banks.
Despite this, Gonzaga pledged to mobilise more women, assuring them that they would secure funding this time.
The US$217 million project aims to support the Government in establishing an integrated programme of customised services to help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses from micro to small, and from small to medium enterprises, while improving productivity.
The project comprises four components: women’s empowerment and enterprise development services; access to finance for women entrepreneurs; enabling infrastructure support; and programme management.
Launching the project in Masindi district in 2024, Youth and Children Affairs Minister Balaam Barugahara said women from various enterprise groups would be able to access funding to develop their businesses.
“I am urging women to use it well to help improve their household income. When you access this money, do not spend it on luxury items, but invest it wisely,” Barugahara said.
The minister added that the GROW project would contribute to the Government of Uganda’s National Development Plan III goal of promoting women’s economic empowerment, leadership and participation in decision-making through entrepreneurship programmes and business centres.
The project also seeks to address structural barriers hindering the growth of women-owned businesses, including financial inclusion, access to business development services, infrastructure gaps, community mobilisation and mindset change, to ensure the effective participation of women in the development process.
https://thecooperator.news/cooperative-selected-to-benefit-from-grow-project-in-bunyoro/
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