Maureen Kisakye
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Maureen Kisakye, a resident of Bugumba and a businesswoman operating along Saza Road, is emerging as an inspiring example of how determination and access to affordable financing can transform livelihoods.
Through support from the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises Project (GROW Project), Kisakye has expanded her businesses and created employment opportunities in her community.
After completing university, Kisakye ventured into business by opening a cosmetics shop using Shs20 million she received from her sister living abroad. The arrangement was simple — if the business succeeded, she would refund Shs10 million.
Her persistence soon began to pay off. As the cosmetics business stabilised, Kisakye diversified into livestock farming, starting modestly with just two turkeys and two goats.
In March 2025, her entrepreneurial journey took a significant leap when she secured a Shs20 million loan under the GROW programme through Finance Trust Bank.
Cosmetics enterprise
She allocated Shs15 million to expand her cosmetics shop, Shs3 million to grow her goat farming project, and Shs2 million to increase the number of turkeys on her farm.
The investment quickly began yielding results. Her daily sales at the cosmetics shop rose dramatically from about Shs1 million to between Shs3 million and Shs4 million. At the same time, livestock sales from her farm created an additional stream of income.
As her businesses expanded, Kisakye increased her workforce from two employees to six — three working at the cosmetics shop and three at the farm.
With the improved earnings, she has been able to purchase a plot of land, support her husband in completing their family home, pay school fees for her children and comfortably meet her loan obligations.
Kisakye first learned about the GROW loan through social media, where officials from the programme were encouraging women entrepreneurs to take advantage of the financing opportunity.
Government’s support
She then visited Finance Trust Bank with the required documentation, including her land title and trading licence, and secured two guarantors — her husband and a close friend.
The loan carries an interest rate of about 10 percent and is repayable within one year through monthly installments of Shs1.85 million, seven of which she has already successfully paid.
Launched in 2023 by the Government of Uganda with support from the World Bank, the GROW Project aims to help women transition from informal businesses into sustainable small and medium enterprises.
For Kisakye, the programme has not only expanded her business empire but also turned her into a role model for aspiring women entrepreneurs in Iganga and beyond.
