Norway boosts women with sh1.7b
Apr 16, 2008
NORWAY has granted $1m (about sh1.69b) for the training of over 800 women under the strengthening of women entrepreneurs project.
By David Muwanga
NORWAY has granted $1m (about sh1.69b) for the training of over 800 women under the strengthening of women entrepreneurs project.
The three-year project will run from 2008 to 2011, Charles Ocici, the head of Enterprise Uganda, a business mentoring organisation, said.
He said the training would be conducted throughout the country.
The project targets 700 business women from rural areas and 150 from urban centres, Ocici added.
Ocici said the project aims at enhancing women in economic development.
Other objectives include provision of gender sensitive training and business support services to 850 women entrepreneurs.
“This is aimed at enhancing women access to existing business development services,†Ocici said during the project’s launch at the Kampala Serena Hotel on Tuesday.
This in turn is expected to contribute to job creation, improved household incomes, food security, promote value addition and access to finance and markets.
Studies argue that women should be included in all development programmes.
Prof. Ssemakula Kiwanuka, the investment state minister, who presided over the launch, said some of the challenges affecting women in business included lack of access to finance, red-tape and inadequate infrastucture.
“These impediments have contributed to the slow growth of our private sector.
“To address them, the Government has started initiatives aimed at building a vibrant private sector and improving the livelihood of rural communities,†he said.
The minister was, however, disappointed that despite the Government initiatives, the private sector was still dominated by a multiplicity of micro-and-small scale enterprises, the majority of which he said were owned by women.
“The Government should adopt a deliberate policy to encourage large companies to source their inputs locally and in so doing support local small-and-medium firms,†Ssemakula told the participants.
NORWAY has granted $1m (about sh1.69b) for the training of over 800 women under the strengthening of women entrepreneurs project.
The three-year project will run from 2008 to 2011, Charles Ocici, the head of Enterprise Uganda, a business mentoring organisation, said.
He said the training would be conducted throughout the country.
The project targets 700 business women from rural areas and 150 from urban centres, Ocici added.
Ocici said the project aims at enhancing women in economic development.
Other objectives include provision of gender sensitive training and business support services to 850 women entrepreneurs.
“This is aimed at enhancing women access to existing business development services,†Ocici said during the project’s launch at the Kampala Serena Hotel on Tuesday.
This in turn is expected to contribute to job creation, improved household incomes, food security, promote value addition and access to finance and markets.
Studies argue that women should be included in all development programmes.
Prof. Ssemakula Kiwanuka, the investment state minister, who presided over the launch, said some of the challenges affecting women in business included lack of access to finance, red-tape and inadequate infrastucture.
“These impediments have contributed to the slow growth of our private sector.
“To address them, the Government has started initiatives aimed at building a vibrant private sector and improving the livelihood of rural communities,†he said.
The minister was, however, disappointed that despite the Government initiatives, the private sector was still dominated by a multiplicity of micro-and-small scale enterprises, the majority of which he said were owned by women.
“The Government should adopt a deliberate policy to encourage large companies to source their inputs locally and in so doing support local small-and-medium firms,†Ssemakula told the participants.