Women Empowerment or Exclusion? The Reality of Uganda’s GROW Funds

By Choki David Engoorit

Uganda’s GeneratinG Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project was introduced with a noble goal – to economically empower women through affordable financing, business support and entrepreneurship development.

The vision was clear: help women expand businesses, create jobs, improve household incomes and reduce poverty. However, as implementation continues through selected commercial banks, serious concerns are emerging from many of the women the project was meant to uplift.

Many women entrepreneurs walk into banks hopeful, but leave frustrated.

One major challenge is the conflict of interest within commercial banks. These banks are profit-driven institutions with their own loan products to promote. As a result, some women seeking GROW loans reportedly find themselves being redirected or turned down.

Another concern is the strict eligibility conditions. Many banks still demand collateral such as land titles or registered property. Yet Uganda’s social reality is that a large number of women do not own land or household assets in their own names. In many families, property is traditionally registered under men, despite women contributing significantly to household wealth and business growth.

The project also appears to favor formally registered businesses, leaving out thousands of hardworking women operating small informal enterprises in markets, villages and trading centers. These women may have viable businesses but lack formal registration documents, audited records or complex paperwork required by banks.

Complicated banking procedures continue to discourage many applicants. Long documentation processes, technical financial language and repeated bank visits become difficult especially for rural and low-income women with limited financial literacy or transport means.

Government must therefore revisit the implementation model if the GROW project is to achieve its intended impact.

Alternative security options such as group guarantees, SACCO recommendations, savings history and cash-flow assessments should be embraced instead of overreliance on land titles. Monitoring of participating banks should also be strengthened to prevent unfair practices and ensure transparency.

Uganda should also consider centralizing or semi-centralizing the fund under a dedicated public empowerment institution or special government agency whose primary mandate is women empowerment – not profit maximization. Such an institution would be better positioned to prioritize inclusion, mentorship and developmental outcomes over commercial interests.

In addition, more awareness campaigns are needed, especially in rural districts. Many women still do not fully understand the eligibility criteria, application process or their rights under the program. Without adequate information, middlemen and misinformation continue to thrive.

Ugandan women are already hardworking and entrepreneurial. What many lack is not determination, but fair and practical access to affordable capital.

The GROW project still holds enormous potential. But unless these structural barriers are addressed, many deserving women may continue hearing about empowerment without ever truly experiencing it.