A team from the World Bank commenced a 10-day mission on Monday
to assess the progress in implementing the new Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for
Women Enterprises (GROW) project. The project aims to increase access to entrepreneurial services
that enable female entrepreneurs to expand their enterprises in targeted locations, including host and
refugee districts. It is a government initiative funded by the World Bank with a $217 million grant. The
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) is the lead implementing Agency with the
Private Sector Foundation Uganda as an implementing Entity.
The team from the Bank is led by Ms. Margarita Puerto Gomez, a Senior Social Development Specialist
who is also Task Team Leader for GROW Project, and includes Mr. Samuel Clark, a Senior Social
Development Specialist based in Nairobi, Kenya, and Ms. Fatima Naqvi, a Senior Social Protection
Specialist. They are accompanied by a delegation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from
Seattle USA. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Stephen Asiimwe, CEO, PSFU and Ms. Ruth Buyizika
Kasolo who is the Deputy Project Coordinator.
During the entry meeting held at the Ministry headquarters in Kampala, Mr. Aggrey David Kibenge, the
Permanent Secretary, commended the team for their support from the project's design to approval
stage. He revealed that the delegation would hold various engagements for each sub-component of the
project to assess the implementation status.
Kibenge emphasized the importance of diligence and commitment from all stakeholders to meet the
strict timelines because the project was declared effective in January of this year, will close on
December 31, 2027, and is non-extendable. On her part Ms. Margarita Puerto Gomez, a Senior Social
Development Specialist who is also Task Team Leader for GROW Project assured Government of the
Banks support and that the World Bank team is available to help the Ministry accelerate project
implementation including addressing challenges related to procurements, disbursements as well as
funds absorption, among others.
In his presentation, the Project Coordinator, Mr. Alex Asiimwe, who also serves as the Commissioner of
Labour, Industrial Relations, and Productivity, identified the milestones and challenges. He informed the
meeting that to achieve the development objective of the project, a wrap-around approach is being
used to address the myriad challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Uganda; a package of
integrated services is being provided to individuals or groups of women entrepreneurs. Alex reported on
the progress of access to trade/sector-specific skills where a call for Expression of Interest (EoI) for
Window 1 & 2 was issued and due date 6 th Sept 2023; on core business entrepreneurship course for
micro and small enterprises, he said that the MUBS was developing the curriculum to enable the
Ministry engage training firms to train women entrepreneurs.
Regarding the eagerly anticipated grant support for micro enterprises through business competitions,
Mr. Asiimwe revealed that the engagement of women entrepreneurs had been initiated, the grants
manual as a disbursement condition was being finalized and the competition would start before the end
of this year.
For the sub-component aimed at facilitating access to credit for enterprise growth, the Commissioner
reported that consultative meetings and an assessment study had been conducted with financial
institutions to inform the operational manual and loans product. A Call for Expression of Interest for
Participating Financial Institutions was issued and closed on September 1, 2023. The process of licensing
the lending institution had progressed, with guidance from the Uganda Microfinance Regulatory
Authority (UMRA) on the use of the PSFU catalytic fund.
Under the sub-component focused on establishing multi-purpose service and production facilities to
boost women enterprise productivity, Mr. Asiimwe said that mapping of existing multi-purpose
Common User Facilities in the country under phase one had been completed, and phase two would be
finished by September 2023 to pave the way for the design and upgrading of the facilities.
Mr. Asiimwe enumerated that the GROW Steering Committee and the Technical Committee were
constituted and held their first meetings on August 14, 2023, and August 22, 2023, respectively. He
noted that key next steps and timelines had been established to accelerate the project's
implementation.
This is the second Implementation Support Mission (ISM) by the Bank for the GROW Project, with the
first one having been conducted in January 2023.
A team from the World Bank commenced a 10-day mission on Monday
to assess the progress in implementing the new Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for
Women Enterprises (GROW) project. The project aims to increase access to entrepreneurial services
that enable female entrepreneurs to expand their enterprises in targeted locations, including host and
refugee districts. It is a government initiative funded by the World Bank with a $217 million grant. The
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) is the lead implementing Agency with the
Private Sector Foundation Uganda as an implementing Entity.
The team from the Bank is led by Ms. Margarita Puerto Gomez, a Senior Social Development Specialist
who is also Task Team Leader for GROW Project, and includes Mr. Samuel Clark, a Senior Social
Development Specialist based in Nairobi, Kenya, and Ms. Fatima Naqvi, a Senior Social Protection
Specialist. They are accompanied by a delegation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from
Seattle USA. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Stephen Asiimwe, CEO, PSFU and Ms. Ruth Buyizika
Kasolo who is the Deputy Project Coordinator.
During the entry meeting held at the Ministry headquarters in Kampala, Mr. Aggrey David Kibenge, the
Permanent Secretary, commended the team for their support from the project’s design to approval
stage. He revealed that the delegation would hold various engagements for each sub-component of the
project to assess the implementation status.
Kibenge emphasized the importance of diligence and commitment from all stakeholders to meet the
strict timelines because the project was declared effective in January of this year, will close on
December 31, 2027, and is non-extendable. On her part Ms. Margarita Puerto Gomez, a Senior Social
Development Specialist who is also Task Team Leader for GROW Project assured Government of the
Banks support and that the World Bank team is available to help the Ministry accelerate project
implementation including addressing challenges related to procurements, disbursements as well as
funds absorption, among others.
In his presentation, the Project Coordinator, Mr. Alex Asiimwe, who also serves as the Commissioner of
Labour, Industrial Relations, and Productivity, identified the milestones and challenges. He informed the
meeting that to achieve the development objective of the project, a wrap-around approach is being
used to address the myriad challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Uganda; a package of
integrated services is being provided to individuals or groups of women entrepreneurs. Alex reported on
the progress of access to trade/sector-specific skills where a call for Expression of Interest (EoI) for
Window 1 & 2 was issued and due date 6 th Sept 2023; on core business entrepreneurship course for
micro and small enterprises, he said that the MUBS was developing the curriculum to enable the
Ministry engage training firms to train women entrepreneurs.
Regarding the eagerly anticipated grant support for micro enterprises through business competitions,
Mr. Asiimwe revealed that the engagement of women entrepreneurs had been initiated, the grants
manual as a disbursement condition was being finalized and the competition would start before the end
of this year.
For the sub-component aimed at facilitating access to credit for enterprise growth, the Commissioner
reported that consultative meetings and an assessment study had been conducted with financial
institutions to inform the operational manual and loans product. A Call for Expression of Interest for
Participating Financial Institutions was issued and closed on September 1, 2023. The process of licensing
the lending institution had progressed, with guidance from the Uganda Microfinance Regulatory
Authority (UMRA) on the use of the PSFU catalytic fund.
Under the sub-component focused on establishing multi-purpose service and production facilities to
boost women enterprise productivity, Mr. Asiimwe said that mapping of existing multi-purpose
Common User Facilities in the country under phase one had been completed, and phase two would be
finished by September 2023 to pave the way for the design and upgrading of the facilities.
Mr. Asiimwe enumerated that the GROW Steering Committee and the Technical Committee were
constituted and held their first meetings on August 14, 2023, and August 22, 2023, respectively. He
noted that key next steps and timelines had been established to accelerate the project’s
implementation.
This is the second Implementation Support Mission (ISM) by the Bank for the GROW Project, with the
first one having been conducted in January 2023.