The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, has directed Betty Amongi, the Minister of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, to make a statement outlining how Ugandan women benefit from the US$217 million World Bank grant known as the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project, which aims to finance female entrepreneurs in Uganda.
The speaker issued the directive during the plenary sitting on Monday, October 14, 2024, following several complaints she received surrounding the project from the women and its leaders, with some wondering if the project is only intended to benefit only women entrepreneurs in Kampala.
“I have got many complaints about women on the GROW project; they are wondering whether GROW is to benefit women on Kampala Road or if it is benefiting the women outside there, and the leaders are also saying they don’t have the regulations. They want you to share the regulations and then give us an account of who are the beneficiaries of GROW. So, I want to ask the Minister to come to this House and give this House a report on the GROW Project,” Among said.
Read Also: Amongi Clarifies on Grow Loans being for Existing Businesses and not Start-Ups
The Pakwach District Woman Representative, Jane Pacuto, also criticized the strict requirements that commercial banks have placed for female entrepreneurs, such as requiring them to provide proof of land ownership and provide pictures of themselves standing next to their husbands in order to be eligible for the funds. She wondered whether the funds are only meant for married women in Uganda.
“Most of the women have complained that when they go to the banks where these funds have been directed, they are being asked for collateral in the form of land, and not only land, but they are going ahead to say that the land must have a building and they must produce evidence that they own the land. Other than that, some are being asked to take photos together with their husbands; we are wondering whether GROW is meant for only legally married women, and yet there are very many women out there who are not married,” Pacuto noted.
On August 28, 2024, GROW launched an initiative that will offer quick and affordable loans to women entrepreneurs. The Grow Loan is available at Stanbic Bank and Equity Bank, Finance Trust Bank, DFCU Bank, Centenary Bank, and Post Bank.
