By Mulengera Reporters
When Fiona Mujuni Atuhaire started her metal stock business in 2019, she had little stock and limited capital. She was determined to build a business that could support her family, but expanding the enterprise remained a challenge.
Today, Atuhaire looks back at how far she has come with a sense of pride. Her turning point came when she accessed a UGX 20 million GROW loan through UGAFODE Microfinance Limited, which enabled her to expand her stock and introduce products she had previously been unable to afford.
“I started small until I got the GROW loan and added more stock,” Atuhaire says.
With the additional capital, she diversified her business, purchasing paint and other raw materials to respond to the needs of her customers. The increased stock not only expanded what she could offer but also gave her business greater capacity to grow.
For Atuhaire, however, the benefits of the loan go beyond the shelves of her business.
“Ever since I got this money from UGAFODE, I have been able to pay my children’s school fees,” she says.
She has also been able to work with her husband on family projects, allowing income from her enterprise to contribute directly to the wellbeing and development of her household.
Atuhaire’s experience illustrates what access to affordable finance can mean for women entrepreneurs who have viable businesses but struggle to raise sufficient capital. By providing financing alongside business development support, the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project seeks to help women move their enterprises from micro to small businesses and from small to medium-sized enterprises.
The US$217 million Government of Uganda project, funded by the World Bank, is implemented nationally, with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development working alongside the Private Sector Foundation Uganda and other partners. The project provides women with business skills training, affordable financing and support for women-led enterprises and common-user facilities.
One of the features that Fiona appreciates most is the affordability of the financing.
“I urge every woman who hasn’t acquired the GROW loan and those who have already got it, to use it responsibly because it has low interest rates,” she says.
Her message is particularly directed at women who have businesses but lack the capital needed to expand. She encourages them to explore opportunities available through participating financial institutions.
At the same time, Fiona Atuhaire believes more women could benefit if additional resources were made available.
“I request the Government to add more money into the GROW Project because the capital we have is not enough,” she says.
For Fiona, the UGX 20 million she received was more than a loan. It became an opportunity to increase her stock, diversify her products and strengthen her ability to meet her family’s needs.
Her story reflects the wider ambition of GROW: to ensure that women entrepreneurs have access to the skills and financial resources they need to turn small enterprises into sustainable businesses.
From a modest metal stock in Ishaka, Fiona Atuhaire is building a business with bigger possibilities—and she hopes more women will get the same opportunity to grow. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
