economy 7 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
GROW Project: Empowering Busoga's Women to Combat Poverty
The Ugandan government is launching the GROW project in the Busoga region, focusing on empowering women entrepreneurs with business skills and financial access to break the cycle of persistent poverty. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/grow-project-government-bets-on-women-entrepreneurs-to-break-busoga-s-poverty-cycle-5488524
The Busoga sub-region in Uganda, despite its agricultural potential and proximity to markets, continues to face high poverty rates. In response, the government has initiated the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project, a comprehensive program aimed at uplifting women entrepreneurs and stimulating economic growth.
The GROW project seeks to address the root causes of poverty by equipping women with essential business acumen, promoting a shift towards entrepreneurial thinking, and improving access to affordable financing. Officials emphasize that the initiative is not just about financial aid but about fostering long-term economic independence, recognizing that empowering women stabilizes entire households.
Training modules focus on critical areas such as financial management, record-keeping, strategic planning, and business scalability. Initially, a challenge arose where established urban entrepreneurs dominated the commercial loan component. To counteract this, the project is now partnering with rural financial institutions and microfinance providers to ensure broader access, alongside a competitive grants scheme for innovative business proposals.
Experts have highlighted the paradox of poverty in Busoga, given its fertile land and proximity to Kampala. They urge residents to transition from subsistence farming to treating agriculture as a business, producing with market demands in mind to leverage the region’s advantages.
The project’s impact is already evident, with beneficiaries like poultry farmer Hellen Anyinda sharing her success. By applying the skills learned, she transformed her small operation into a thriving business, significantly improving her family’s livelihood. The government hopes to replicate this success across the region to create jobs and boost economic resilience.