Grow Project

Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises Project

GROW is a Government of Uganda Project, funded by the World Bank, implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda in all districts, Municipalities and Cities across the country. It aims at increasing access to Entrepreneurial Services that enable female Entrepreneurs to grow their Enterprises from micro to small and small to medium in targeted locations, including the Refugee host districts.

Targeted Beneficiaries

  • 60,000+ - Female-owned enterprises (including 3,000 refugee-owned businesses)
  • 280,000+ - Women entrepreneurs & employees (including 42,000 refugees and 14,000 host community members)
  • 1.6 Million - Indirect beneficiaries, including family members, communities, suppliers, service providers, and distributors of women enterprises' products.

Project Components

The project consists of four components that together constitute a comprehensive package of customized support for empowering female entrepreneurs to grow and transition their enterprises from micro to small and from small to medium.

Component 1

Provides enterprise development services for women through training (technical, life skills, digital), business advisory services, and enhanced networks for women through platforms that facilitate market linkages and value chain development and seek to change negative social norms that prevent women from engaging in business activities.

Component 2

Facilitates access to finance for women entrepreneurs to transition from micro enterprises to small and medium enterprises. This component will address the key constraint of access to larger scale finance for women entrepreneurs to expand their business.

Component 3

Supports investments in enabling infrastructure and facilities including common-user production facilities and childcare facilities to ensure that women have access to economic and social infrastructure.

Component 4

Supports project management, policy innovation, and evidence generation. These components will include host communities and have specialized activities that address the specific needs of women entrepreneurs that are refugees and that are from refugee hosting community locations.

These four components together constitute a comprehensive package of customized support for empowering female entrepreneurs to grow and transition their enterprises from micro to small and from small to medium enterprises. Links

The Role of UWEAL

UWEAL was recruited by the MoGLSD as a Capacity Building Firm (CBF) to provide consulting services towards building capacity and facilitating women entrepreneurs’ platforms (WEPs) under Contract No. UG-MoGLSD-397276-CS-CDS signed on 6th September 2024. UWEAL is responsible forc Formation and Strengthening of Women Entrepreneurship Platforms (WEPS) in 105 Districts of Central, Eastern and Western Uganda

A WEP is a multi-stakeholder network of women entrepreneurs, and trade associations represented by women entrepreneurs of any experience and from all business sectors at district, sub-regional, regional and national levels. It is a space for women entrepreneurs for networking and information sharing.

These platforms serve as the foundation for engaging communities, identifying project beneficiaries, and encouraging women entrepreneurs to participate in various activities supported under GROW. The WEPs also serve the following functions;

  • a) Source of information for women entrepreneurs to gain knowledge on how to participate in GROW Project activities (e.g., trade-specific training, apprenticeships, business plan competitions, credits, and productive infrastructure).
  • b) Provide women entrepreneurs with access to networks and information on opportunities available under GROW
  • c) Mobilize women entrepreneurs to access training and financial support under GROW
  • b) Serve as forums for identifying priority infrastructure and facilities to be supported under GROW.

Thus, women entrepreneurs are able to engage in the platform through local chapters, digital spaces, social interactions, and resources accessible to all platform members. To achieve its functions, WEPs are primarily undertaking three key activities:

  • a) Mobilizing women entrepreneurs at the local level to participate and benefit from GROW products and services,
  • b) Providing a platform for women entrepreneurs to demand and access services and network amongst themselves to foster enterprise development, and
  • c) Disseminating information related to the platforms.
Map showing GROW-WEPs Regions Assigned to UWEAL Map showing GROW-WEPs Regions Assigned to UWEAL

"Any Society that fails to harness the energy and creativity of its women is at a huge disadvantage in the Modern World."

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