Women being tutored on how to run their businesses under the GROW project
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Over 143 women entrepreneurs, including refugee women, have received business development training under the government’s GROW project to enhance their skills in entrepreneurship. The initiative provides tailored technical skills and mentorship to help women scale their enterprises. This training addresses key structural challenges, including limited access to finance and market.
According to the quarterly report (October–December 2025) issued by the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), women entrepreneurs benefiting from the GROW Loan facility are increasingly gaining access not only to finance but also to critical training and Business Development Services (BDS), a move aimed at strengthening enterprise sustainability and growth.
It further says that significant progress has been made in equipping women with the skills and advisory support needed to effectively utilize the GROW financing.
A key pillar of the programme is skills development and BDS provision under the GROW Project. During the quarter, PSFU rolled out project-initiated Business Advisory support as an interim measure while procuring service providers for nationwide delivery. “This quarter the project-initiated Business Advisors support for Business Development Support (BDS) in the interim for procurement of the service providers for skills and BDS nationwide,” the report states.
Through this intervention, at least 143 women borrowers directly received tailored BDS from business advisors. These services include mentorship, business planning, financial management guidance, and market linkage support—critical components in ensuring that loan beneficiaries translate credit into tangible business growth.
In addition, a much larger pool of women was prepared to access and manage loans through structured training programmes conducted by participating financial institutions. The report indicates that 13,828 women were trained by commercial banks as part of pre-loan preparation, equipping them with essential financial literacy and business management skills.
The training efforts are complemented by broader skilling initiatives targeting vulnerable groups. The report highlights that 1,212 refugees and 2,700 women in refugee hosting districts were skilled during the period, ensuring inclusivity in the programme’s reach.
Overall, 4,461 women benefited from various PSFU GROW interventions during the quarter, excluding those already counted under financial access and BDS support. The report emphasizes that many of the 143 women supported with BDS are part of the larger group accessing financial services, demonstrating a layered support system.
Beyond direct training, awareness and sensitisation efforts also played a critical role, reaching 10,195 beneficiaries through information-sharing engagements. These initiatives help women understand available opportunities and prepare them for participation in the GROW programme.
The GROW Project’s design underscores the importance of pairing finance with capacity building. By integrating training and Business Development Services into the loan programme, PSFU is addressing one of the key barriers faced by women entrepreneurs—limited business skills.
With continued rollout of nationwide BDS providers, the initiative is expected to deepen its impact, enabling more women to not only access credit but also build resilient and scalable enterprises.
About the Author
