The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has called for a review of the GROW Project, a government initiative aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs. The call was made during a meeting between PAC members, led by Chairman Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, and officials from the Ministry of Gender and Private Sector Foundation Uganda, led by State Minister of Finance Henry Musasizi and Minister of Gender Esther Anyakun.
Kivumbi noted that while the project is good, its implementation has been ineffective in achieving its goal. He urged the ministry to empower MPs with information on the project, enabling them to reach out to women entrepreneurs and encourage them to register their businesses to benefit from the project.
Legislator Sarah Opendi suggested that the ministry should target women already in business and educate them on registering their businesses to benefit from the project. “Empower MPs with information on the Grow project so that we reach out to the women entrepreneurs to register their businesses to benefit,” she said.
Suzan Amero questioned why the Ministry of Gender is not utilizing the Uganda Registration Service Bureau (URSB), which has a wider coverage across the country, to register businesses. “Why is the Ministry of Gender not utilizing Uganda Registration Service Bureau? They cover the entire country and can register these businesses,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary to the Gender Ministry, Aggrey Kibenge, explained that the project targets women in small and medium-sized businesses, aiming to increase access to entrepreneurial services for female entrepreneurs in targeted locations, including refugee-hosting districts.
Minister Musasizi pledged to engage with the World Bank to address the concerns raised by MPs and make necessary adjustments to the project. “We will engage with World Bank to present the concerns of MPs and make adjustments to the project to get the output,” he said.
The GROW Project aims to support women entrepreneurs in growing their businesses, sustaining self-employment, and creating jobs.
