Grow to indirectly benefit 1.6 million people

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The Government-designed Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project, worth $217m, aims to increase access to entrepreneurial services that enable female entrepreneurs to grow their enterprises in targeted locations, including host and refugee districts, Gender Minister Betty Amongi has said. 

"The project targets over 60,000 female-owned enterprises, including 3,000 refugee-owned businesses, and will indirectly benefit 1.6 million people."

She noted that the project addresses challenges such as access to finance, gender-inclusive infrastructure, skills development, creation and strengthening of women's platforms, community mobilization, and mindset change.

Minister Amongi made these remarks during a presentation at the side event on empowering women and transforming economies: Success Stories from Africa, part of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in New York City.

The conference drew ministers from Nigeria, Liberia, Tanzania, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda. "We have partnered with women-led non-governmental organizations experienced in mitigating negative social norms affecting women's participation in business," Minister Amongi said. "Women are being mobilized and mentored at the sub-county and district levels."

She added that they have mapped and assessed 522 women entrepreneurs' platforms and partnered with two leading women's economic platforms, UWEAL and NUWEBIZ, to prepare and link women entrepreneurs to benefit from the GROW project and other government interventions. The platforms will serve as the foundation for women entrepreneurs to access integrated services provided across GROW components.