Over 500 Jinja women guided on tapping into GROW project opportunities

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More than 500 women in Jinja city have been urged to identify small-scale income-generating projects in order to benefit from the Generating Growth Opportunities for Women Enterprises (GROW) project, being implemented under the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU).

Dr Ruth Aisha Biyinzika Kasolo, the GROW project coordinator under PSFU, said that by identifying income-generating activities, the project would uplift women entrepreneurs by providing financial support, business skills and market linkages.

“We want women in Jinja to think beyond survival businesses and identify enterprises that can grow into sustainable sources of income. The GROW project is here to help you access funding, training, and markets, but you must come up with realistic ideas that suit your community,” she said.

While addressing women under the Jinja South East Women Empowerment Group (JSEWE) on August 24, 2025, at Deliverance Church in Walukuba West, she stressed that women should carefully choose viable projects that can create long-term income opportunities for their households.

She explained that the initiative, funded in partnership with the World Bank and government, targets women-led enterprises at the community level, especially those in micro and small-scale businesses.

“I can see you're already, by September this year, you will first be given free skills and how to market your products. We need you to take advantage of this project, which is ending by 2027,” she said.

Dr Kasolo noted that businesses in agriculture, crafts, tailoring, food processing and retail trade were among those prioritised, although women were encouraged to innovate according to their skills and local market needs.

Local leaders welcomed the programme, pointing out that many women in Jinja have long struggled with access to capital and business knowledge despite their determination to support their families.

Jackline Muduwa, vice chairperson of the Walukuba East Women Group, said the initiative would be timely in helping women expand their savings groups into registered businesses.

“We have been saving in our groups for years, but capital is never enough to grow. This project will give us a chance to invest in something bigger and help our children stay in school,” she noted.

Milly Nakaziba, the chairperson of Women Empowerment Jinja City, said women had long lagged in development. She explained that previously they accessed loans of shillings one million and were required to pay back with sh200,000 as weekly interest.

However, Dr Kasolo criticised the high interest rates, noting that with the GROW project, women who borrow shillings one million pay back with sh100,000 interest annually. For those who pay promptly, the interest is reduced to sh50,000, thereby ensuring proper usage and value for money.

Allen Kabindi, the JSEWE coordinator, said the group, which has a start-up capital of sh10 million, is made up of smaller savings groups from Old Boma, Masese I, II and III, the islands of Kisima I and II, Lwabitooke, Walukuba East and West, as well as the central business area of Jinja city.

“These women want to work but are still lacking capacity in terms of proper startup capital. With the support from GROW, we have hope it will change their mindset and support their families rather than running all the time to politicians for support,” she said.

Nathan Igeme Nabeta, the Jinja South Member of Parliament, contributed sh5 million to boost the group’s start-up capital.

The GROW project is expected to directly benefit more than 60,000 women entrepreneurs across Uganda over the next five years, with Jinja being one of the priority cities under the first phase of implementation.