Despite government intervention to lift women out of poverty through businesses, 80–94% of all women-owned businesses in Uganda are microenterprises, with limited growth potential due to financial and structural challenges, Minister of Gender and Labour,Hon Betty Amongi, has revealed.
“Uganda ranks highest in women’s business ownership across Africa, yet the majority of these enterprises remain small and underfunded due to systemic barriers in the financial sector, “Among revealed.
According to the 2020 MasterCard Global Index of Women Entrepreneurs, women own nearly 40% of all businesses in Uganda however most cannot grow beyond micro level.
Amongi emphasized that women-led businesses tend to operate in more vulnerable sectors and earn 30% less in profits compared to male-owned enterprises.
Despite their contribution to Uganda’s micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector, women-led businesses account for just 24.4% of the formal loan portfolio.
According to the Minister while 65% of women now own a financial account, only 34% hold accounts in formal financial institutions—the rest remain in informal, unsecured, and sometimes risky financial environments.
Government interventions
Uganda government has been supported women through interventions like Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) program, which supports financial institutions and innovators to design, test, and scale tailored financial solutions for women entrepreneurs.
The Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project in Uganda, funded by the World Bank, aims to empower women entrepreneurs by providing access to entrepreneurial services and training. The project, implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), focuses on supporting female entrepreneurs, including those in refugee host districts, to grow their businesses, create jobs, and contribute to economic development
The Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) project in Uganda has a total funding of US$217 million (UGX 795.627 billion). This initiative, supported by the World Bank, aims to support women entrepreneurs by improving access to finance, infrastructure, business skills, and community-level support.
There is a lot Uganda women Entrepreneurs programme (UWEP) which has offered loan facility to women led projects