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Fort Portal, Uganda | URN | The government is to provide an extra 80 billion shillings to support women-owned businesses through non-repayable grants.
Mary Kamuli Kuteesa, the State Minister for Gender and Culture, said the government is introducing the Business Plan Competition Grants to enable women entrepreneurs to access capital without the burden of loan repayments or the requirement for collateral.
Speaking during an orientation workshop for district leaders in Fort Portal City last week, Kuteesa said the program will support both small and larger women-owned enterprises.
Under the program, businesses employing up to four people will be eligible for grants ranging from 3.5 million shillings to 35 million shillings, while enterprises employing five or more people will receive between 35 million and 107 million shillings.
Kuteesa said removing collateral requirements was particularly important because many women lack land titles and other assets that financial institutions require when extending loans.
She noted that only 6% of women in Uganda own land, which limits their ability to secure financing to expand their businesses.
The funding is being provided under the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) project.
The project seeks to address financial barriers that have prevented many women from establishing and expanding businesses.
The minister said the grants will also encourage women to venture into industries traditionally dominated by men like construction, welding, and manufacturing, as well as businesses that promote environmental conservation.
She urged district leaders to mobilize eligible women to apply for the funding and ensure that the money reaches the intended beneficiaries without unauthorized deductions or demands for bribes.
Freda Amuron, a refugee specialist for the GROW project at the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, said the orientation workshops are intended to prepare district officials and refugee settlement leaders to identify eligible women entrepreneurs and guide them through the application process.
Amuron said applicants must demonstrate that their businesses have been operating for at least one year.
She added that the program will support enterprises in sectors including agribusiness, creative arts, manufacturing, ecotourism and science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related fields.
Amuron said the application process will be digital, with assistance available for women who need support completing the forms, and successful applicants will be expected to implement their projects within nine to 12 months, with implementation scheduled to end by June 2027.
Margret Kabajwara, the Deputy Mayor of Fort Portal City, welcomed the initiative, saying limited access to financing has constrained the growth of many women-owned businesses.
However, she called for greater involvement of local governments in the implementation of the GROW project, saying authorities need better information about beneficiaries of its existing loan program to improve coordination and support for women entrepreneurs.
The orientation workshop brought together district commercial officers, district chairpersons, Resident District Commissioners, refugee settlement leaders and GROW focal persons from the Bunyoro, Tooro and Rwenzori regions.
