Nanziri Milly Kalule a poultry farmer in Mutungo zone 4 chatting with Dr Ruth Aisha Biyinzika Kasolo, the GROW Project Coordinator during her recent tour of Nakawa Division
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Women in Nakawa Division in Kampala City have reaped big from the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project, an entrepreneurship support initiative.
Officials have disclosed that the project, through participating financial institutions (PFIs) has disbursed up to Shs1.2 billion to over 35 women in the division.
During a recent field tour of the beneficiaries in Nakawa Division, Dr. Ruth Aisha Biyinzika Kasolo, the GROW Project Coordinator, noted that in Kampala and Greater Kampala, there are 990 women who have so far acquired GROW loans.
“GROW loans have performed so well both in Kampala and Greater Kampala. For instance, in Nakawa Division alone, over 35 women have received loans worth Shs1.2 billion,” she said.
Dr. Biyinzika appealed to leaders and politicians to encourage women to particiapate, stating that the GROW loan is not intended for women who are just starting or for very small-scale entrepreneurs, but rather for women who want to upgrade from micro to small enterprises, and then from small to medium enterprises.
She also mentioned that they are also looking at the possibility of intensifying the award of agricultural loans for women so that they can venture into large scale agriculture.
Nanziri tending her chicks in Mutungo Zone 4
Women visited were upbeat and promised to service their loan on time, and complete repayment ahead of time.
Milly Kalule Nanziri, a resident of Mutungo Zone 3, mentioned that she acquired a GROW loan of Shs5 million, which she used to enhance her poultry farming at home.
“Fellow women encourage me to apply, since this was my first time acquiring a loan. My husband was supportive in this endeavor, and went ahead and provided the required collateral for me to secure the loan,” she said.
She added that with the Shs5 million she received from Post Bank, she procured 300 birds, which she reared and later sold to repay the loan.
“I was given 9 months to repay the loan, and am servicing it with ease. I encourage fellow women to embrace GROW loans to enhance their financial status.”
Harriet Nakkazi Nsamba, a resident of Mutungo Zone 3, was also all praises for the GROW Project initiative, adding that she acquired Shs18 million through Finance Trust Bank and invested it in real estate.
Harriet Nsamba, another beneficiary showing off her unfinished rental block in the company of Dr Biyinzika. The rentals are located in Mutungo, Nakawa Division
“My income has multiplied many times over and financial status improved. My plea is that the Government can make GROW loans accessible to as many women as possible,” she said.
Jolly Komukama, a resident of Kiganda B Zone in Kasokoso and a former secondary school teacher, acquired a GROW loan of Shs7 million through Finance Trust Bank, which she invested in her shop selling soft drinks and beer.
She praised her husband for helping her with the collateral, which was the title to their only house, used to secure the GROW loan from the bank.
“Boosting my business with the money from GROW saved her from the meager salary I was receiving as a secondary school teacher at St. Noah Secondary School in Mitooma,” she said, adding that she has now retired from teaching to focus on growing her business.
Another enthusiastic receiver of the GROW Loan facility is Doreen Nantongo, a resident of Mutungo in Nakawa District.
She sells men’s shoes, bags, and clothes, among other merchandise.
Nantongo said that she learned about the GROW loan at her church in Bwaise-Kikoni.
“I was itching to boost my business, and couldn’t do that without additional capitalization. I went ahead and acquired a GROW loan of Shs15 million through Finance Trust Bank, with a repayment period of one year,” she said.
Nsamba at her rentals in Mutungo with Dr Biyinzika
She further noted that the loan has helped her expand her business, and she has also invested in real estate in the area.
“Now that my business is thriving, am more than ready to acquire another loan of over Shs50 million, once I finish repaying this current one. Am now confident that with the skills she had acquired through GROW, she cannot fail to service her loan.
Dr. Biyinzika, who said that majority of women who number over 2,000 are servicing them well.
“In order to encourage them to stay on course, we have advanced the GROW bonus for the good performers,” she said.
She noted that all women who receive GROW loans and repay them without defaulting are given a 5 percent bonus, through our PFIs which include PostBank, Centenary Bank, Finance Trust Bank, Equity Bank dfcu Bank and Stanbic Bank Uganda.
GROW is a Government of Uganda initiative, funded by the World Bank and implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, with the Private Sector Foundation Uganda as the lead implementer.
The project aims to increase access to entrepreneurial services that enable female entrepreneurs to grow their enterprises from micro to small, and from small to medium-sized businesses in targeted locations, including refugee-host districts.
