Government has asked women entrepreneurs in the Kigezi Sub-region to take advantage of affordable financing and digital technologies to increase production, formalise their businesses and access wider markets.
The call was made by Finance Minister Henry Ariganyira Musasizi, who was the chief guest at a Kigezi Sub-region stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project at UNITE Kabale campus the former National Teachers’ College (NTC) Kabale.
The GROW Project seeks to strengthen entrepreneurial knowledge, productive growth, financial inclusion and business formalisation to increase production, productivity, competitiveness and market access for women-owned enterprises.
Minister Musasizi urged women to move from small-scale survival businesses to sustainable enterprises capable of creating jobs and contributing to economic growth.
He said GROW provides loans ranging from Shs2 million to Shs200 million at an interest rate of not more than 10 per cent per annum.
“Use this opportunity to increase production, improve your products and access new markets,” Minister Musasizi said.
He said the programme is part of the Government’s wider 10-fold growth strategy aimed at expanding Uganda’s economy to $500 billion by 2040 through increased production, productivity and access to bigger and diversified export markets.
The strategy focuses on four key areas: agro-industrialisation, tourism, mineral development, including oil and gas, and science, technology and innovation, including the creative industry.
Minister Musasizi said the sectors are supported by enablers such as peace and security, human capital development, infrastructure, access to markets, wealth creation, budget discipline and the fight against corruption.
He said Uganda’s economy has grown at an average of six per cent annually over the past decade, while exports of goods and services reached $18.4 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.
Tourism generated $1.7 billion during the period, while other exports included pharmaceuticals, refined gold, steel products, cement, ICT products, plastics, processed dairy products, cocoa products, value-added coffee and other processed agricultural commodities.
Minister Musasizi said remittances from Ugandans working abroad reached a record $3.03 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, while foreign direct investment stood at $3.2 billion, driven mainly by oil and gas, mineral value addition and digital services.
He said the Government had also expanded access to affordable financing through programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, the Agricultural Credit Facility, Uganda Development Bank, the Small Business Fund and GROW.
Under PDM, Government had provided Shs4.4 trillion by June 2026, covering 10,589 parishes and reaching about 3.57 million beneficiaries.
The Agricultural Credit Facility had disbursed Shs1.35 trillion to about 14,000 projects and beneficiaries, while Uganda Development Bank had been capitalised to Shs2.2 trillion.
The Small Business Fund has a total capitalisation of Shs200 billion, with individual borrowers eligible for loans of up to Shs500 million.
Minister Musasizi said GROW complements these initiatives by providing a focused pathway for women-owned enterprises to strengthen their capacity and transition from micro and small businesses into medium-sized enterprises.
“GROW is an accelerator for other wealth creation initiatives,” he said.
He urged GROW beneficiaries to use the funds for value addition and address market constraints, including limited access to data, information and appropriate technologies.
Minister Musasizi said digitisation would help women entrepreneurs reduce transaction costs, improve efficiency, increase profits and make their businesses more sustainable.
“Women entrepreneurs are wealth and job creators. A woman operating a small shop, salon, farm, restaurant, tailoring business, agro-processing enterprise or technology business is a producer, a taxpayer, an employer and part of the value chain,” he said.
He encouraged women to acquire new skills, adopt modern technologies, keep proper financial records, register their businesses and build strong business networks.
He said joint ventures and access to appropriate technologies would help women improve their knowledge, competitiveness and ability to penetrate export markets.
Minister Musasizi also rallied local government leaders, including resident district commissioners, chief administrative officers, LC5 chairpersons, Members of Parliament, women leaders and technical officers, to support GROW by improving public services and creating an environment conducive to business growth.
He cited roads, electricity, water and ICT infrastructure as some of the services needed to enable enterprises to expand.
“Kigezi has a strong tradition of enterprise, innovation, hard work and community organisation. The opportunity before us is to build on these strengths,” he said.
He said enterprises in Kisoro, Rubanda, Rukiga, Rukungiri, Kanungu and Kabale should be supported to connect beyond their immediate communities and access wider markets and value-addition opportunities.
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Women urged to use GROW opportunities
State Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development in charge of Elderly Affairs Jacqueline Mbabazi asked women entrepreneurs in Kigezi to embrace opportunities provided under GROW to expand their businesses and improve household incomes.
She said Government, with support from the World Bank and participating financial institutions, was committed to addressing barriers that prevent women from growing their businesses, including limited access to affordable financing, markets, skills and business development services.
Minister Mbabazi said GROW was designed to help women move beyond small-scale businesses and develop productive and sustainable enterprises that can create employment and contribute to Uganda’s economic transformation.
“GROW is a good programme because it supports women in business to grow. When businesses grow, they create jobs, improve incomes and contribute to the progress of the country,” she said.
She commended the Government for introducing programmes aimed at improving livelihoods and creating economic opportunities, citing GROW and PDM among initiatives targeting communities and women.
Minister Mbabazi said GROW provides both grants and loans, urging women to understand the different financing options and use the funds responsibly to strengthen their enterprises.
She encouraged women to take advantage of GROW centres for training and mentorship to improve their business management skills and prepare themselves to access financing.
She said the programme would also support women to address challenges related to product registration, certification and access to markets.
Minister Mbabazi said collaboration with institutions such as the Uganda National Bureau of Standards would help women improve the quality and competitiveness of their products and enable them to access wider markets.
She also called for deliberate efforts to include vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities and women facing other barriers to participating in economic activities.
She said empowering women economically was critical to strengthening households, creating jobs and accelerating inclusive economic growth.
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GROW promises more support
Dr Ruth Aisha Biyinzika Kasolo, the GROW Project national coordinator, pledged to expand financial and technical support to women entrepreneurs in Kigezi to help them grow their businesses and access wider markets.
Dr Kasolo said funding was available through participating financial institutions and urged women to take advantage of the programme to address challenges limiting the growth of their businesses.
She encouraged women entrepreneurs to utilise participating financial institutions, including Centenary Bank, Pride Microfinance and other partners, especially those facing challenges accessing affordable financing.
“We have funding available,” Dr Kasolo said.
She said the programme was also supporting women borrowers to formalise their businesses, adding that women with unregistered businesses would have them registered for free.
Dr Kasolo said women whose products require certification from the Uganda National Bureau of Standards would also receive support to obtain certification at no cost.
She said the interventions were intended to improve the quality and competitiveness of women-owned products and enable them to access bigger markets.
Dr Kasolo encouraged women entrepreneurs to embrace digital platforms such as TikTok, online catalogues and websites to market their products and reach customers beyond their local communities.
She said the programme would also explore opportunities for women with quality products to participate in international exhibitions and access external markets.
“We should be able to support you,” she said, urging women entrepreneurs with quality products to take advantage of the available opportunities.
Dr Kasolo said GROW was also working with Women Entrepreneurship Platforms to mobilise women and ensure they are informed about the interventions available to them.
She disclosed that the programme was working towards establishing a revolving fund for women through a government-owned company to ensure that loan funds remain available for future beneficiaries.
The fund could eventually reach Shs300 billion, subject to continued Government support and mobilisation of additional resources, she said.
Dr Kasolo commended the World Bank for supporting the Government through the grant financing the programme and praised financial institutions for partnering with GROW to extend services to women entrepreneurs.
She also appealed to local leaders to continue supporting the programme and identifying women who need financial, digital and business development support.
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