Dr Ruth Aisha Biyinzika Kasolo
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The Government of Uganda, through the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project, has continued to extend affordable credit to women from minority and underserved groups, with nearly Shs 73.3 billion disbursed to women entrepreneurs across the country in the programme’s first year.
According to the latest GROW performance report, government approved Shs 120 billion for disbursement through six participating financial institutions (PFIs) over a two-year period, targeting 4,007 borrowers in the first year alone, including refugees and women in refugee-hosting districts (RHDs). So far, Shs 69.2 billion has been released to PFIs under the Line of Credit.
Dr Ruth Aisha Biyinzika Kasolo, the GROW Project Coordinator at the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), said the figures reflect a deliberate push to ensure that women from marginalised communities are not left behind.
“From the start, GROW was designed as an inclusion-driven financing programme. Our focus has been to reach women who are often excluded from formal credit systems because of location, status or social barriers,” Dr Kasolo said.
A total of 2,958 loans have been issued across three funding levels, with the majority—2,120 loans, representing 71.7 percent—falling in Level One, ranging from Shs million to Shs 20 million. Dr Kasolo explained that this reflects the project’s emphasis on reaching women in less-served and rural areas.
“Many minority women entrepreneurs operate small but viable businesses. Smaller loan sizes allow us to reach more women in refugee-hosting and hard-to-reach districts,” she noted.
Minority groups feature prominently among the beneficiaries. Six refugee women entrepreneurs received loans worth Ugx 38 million through Centenary Bank, five based in Kampala and one in Koboko. In addition, 159 women in refugee-hosting districts accessed financing, with Kamwenge, Koboko and Kiryandongo recording the highest uptake.
“These numbers may look modest, but they are transformative for the women involved,” Dr Kasolo said. “For refugee women, access to even Shs 5 or 10 million can mean restarting a business, educating children and achieving dignity and self-reliance.”
Persons with disabilities have also benefited, with 16 PWDs accessing loans worth Shs 258.9 million through Centenary Bank, Finance Trust Bank and Post Bank. One beneficiary successfully completed repayment and qualified for a second loan. Eight women from the Benet ethnic minority community also accessed GROW loans through Pearl Bank (formerly PostBank).
“This is a major milestone,” Dr Kasolo said. “Reaching ethnic minorities like the Benet demonstrates that inclusive finance is possible when institutions are intentional.”
Overall, 97 percent of borrowers are individual women entrepreneurs, with 30.6 percent being first-time borrowers. The loans are spread across 113 districts, including eight cities, although 26 districts are yet to record any beneficiary.
Dr Kasolo said PSFU is addressing these gaps through capacity building, noting that 202 PFI branch staff have been trained in environmental and social standards, monitoring, reporting, and non-discrimination.
“Inclusion is not accidental. It requires trained staff, responsive systems and a commitment to serve every woman fairly,” she said.
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