By Mulengera Reporters
When Jackline Kobunsingye started her retail shop in 2007, she had a simple ambition: to build a business that could support her family and provide a stable source of income.
Nineteen years later, Kobusingye’s business has grown into an enterprise dealing in general merchandise at both wholesale and retail levels. But the journey to growth has not always been easy. Like many women entrepreneurs, Kobusingye needed additional capital to increase her stock and take advantage of opportunities to expand her business.
Her turning point came when she learned about the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project, a Government of Uganda initiative supported by the World Bank.
Kobusingye was referred to UGAFODE by women in her community who had already accessed GROW financing. Their experiences caught her attention.
“I saw what the women benefited from the GROW loan and I was enticed by what they had achieved,” Kobusingye says.
Seeing how the financing had helped other women improve their businesses gave her the confidence to pursue the same opportunity. She approached UGAFODE and applied for a GROW loan, hoping to strengthen her business and improve the wellbeing of her family.
Investing in Growth
For Kobunsingye, the priority was clear: increase the amount of stock in her shop.
With the financing, she was able to purchase additional merchandise, enabling her to serve more customers and strengthen her wholesale and retail operations.
“I was able to add stock to my business and, believe me, it has been steadily improving,” she says.
The additional capital has helped Kobusingye move beyond simply maintaining her business to creating room for growth. Her experience demonstrates how access to financing can give women entrepreneurs the resources they need to expand existing businesses.
But for Kobusingye, the impact of the investment is measured in more than the shelves and stock in her shop.
A Business That Supports a Family
As her business improves, Kobusingye has been able to use the proceeds to meet important household needs, including paying school fees for her children.
For her, growing the business means creating greater economic stability for her family and strengthening her ability to provide for her children.
Her story also reflects a broader role that women-owned businesses play in supporting households and local economies.
Kobusingye credits the Government for creating opportunities that enable women to access financing and strengthen their businesses.
“I would like to thank the Government for standing with women in business, which has helped women run their families and be economically stable. I thank the Government profusely,” she says.
Expanding Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs
The GROW Project was launched in March 2023 as a Government of Uganda initiative supported by a grant from the World Bank. It is implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda across Uganda’s districts, cities and municipalities, including refugee-hosting districts.
The project aims to increase women entrepreneurs’ access to entrepreneurial services that enable them to grow their enterprises from micro to small scale and from small to medium scale.
GROW was designed to respond to challenges that often constrain women-owned businesses, including limited access to affordable capital, inadequate business management skills, limited access to common-user manufacturing infrastructure and social norms that can affect women’s participation in business.
Through the project, eligible women entrepreneurs can access services including training, mentoring, networking, skills development and financing opportunities.
GROW-supported loans range from UGX 4 million to UGX 200 million, with an interest rate of up to 10 percent per year and repayment periods ranging from six months to two years, subject to applicable lending conditions.
The project targets existing women-owned micro and small enterprises with potential to grow and increase productivity. It supports both registered and unregistered businesses for selected activities, although registration may be required for some financing and infrastructure support.
Looking Ahead
For Kobusingye, the GROW loan has provided more than additional stock. It has given her business new-room to grow while strengthening her ability to support her family.
From a retail shop started in 2007, she has built a growing wholesale and retail enterprise in Katerera Town Council, Bunyaruguru County in Rubirizi district—and she is determined to keep moving forward.
Her journey illustrates how access to capital can help women entrepreneurs transform existing businesses into stronger enterprises, creating opportunities not only for themselves but also for their families and communities. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
