SOROTI CITY, November 6, 2025 — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged Ugandans to embrace the Parish Development Model [ PDM ], saying it was designed to support the “active poor”, unlike the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises Project [GROW] which has stringent conditions.
Under the PDM, each beneficiary receives a soft loan of Shs 1 million from the Parish Revolving Fund [PRF], which is managed at the parish level, unlike the World Bank-funded GROW project.
Launched in March 2023, GROW aims to increase access to entrepreneurial services that enable women to expand their businesses from micro to small, and from small to medium enterprises in targeted areas, including refugee-hosting districts. Unlike the PDM, GROW primarily targets women entrepreneurs who already operate micro or small enterprises.
While the PDM charges an annual interest rate of 6 per cent, GROW loans attract higher rates of either 10 or 10.5 per cent, depending on the lending bank and specific terms. Some regions, such as Karamoja, benefit from a reduced rate of 8.5 per cent. Borrowers who consistently make timely repayments may also qualify for a 5–10 per cent repayment bonus.
Museveni, the National Resistance Movement [NRM] presidential flag bearer, who concluded his campaign trials in the Teso Sub-region yesterday, encouraged Ugandans to take advantage of the PDM while addressing journalists and other stakeholders at the State Lodge in Soroti City. He noted that many GROW beneficiaries had complained about difficulties in accessing the funds.
“I have my PDM—come and join my PDM and forget about GROW,” Museveni who is now in Bugisu Subregion campaigning, said.
Museveni added that GROW implementers should relax the stringent requirements to make it easier for intended beneficiaries to access the funds.
On her part, Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among also confirmed that numerous complaints have been raised regarding GROW and revealed that a committee has been set up to investigate and oversee the project’s implementation, pending the presentation of its report.
“We have instituted a committee to conduct oversight on the management of the GROW funds, and we are still waiting for their report,” Among said.
Like President Museveni, Speaker Among criticised the strict conditions attached to the GROW loans, arguing that they disadvantage ordinary Ugandans.
Currently, GROW loans are accessible through six commercial banks—Centenary Bank, DFCU Bank, Equity Bank, Stanbic Bank, Finance Trust Bank, and Post Bank [Pearl Bank Uganda]. Applicants must comply with each bank’s lending standards and appraisal processes.
GROW is a five-year government initiative funded by the World Bank with a grant of Shs 800 billion. The project is implemented under the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development [MGLSD].
Museveni, the incumbent, is running against Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform [NUP], Nathan Nandala Mafabi of Forum for Democratic Change, and Gregory Mugisha Muntu of Alliance for National Transformation [ANT], among others who want to be elected the next president of Uganda come January 15, 2026.
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