At least 230 refugee women in Kampala have started an 11-day training that will see them et entreprenurship skills as part of the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Entreprises(GROW) project funded by the World Bank.
Speaking during the start of the training, the Makerere University Business School (MUBS) director for the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Incubation Centre, Dr. Diana Nandagire Ntamu said it is intended to give essential skills to refugee women entrepreneurs to enable them compete favourably in business.
"This training aims to give access to refugee women entrepreneurs in urban areas to enable them aaccess services that will allow them to expand their businesses and increase productivity and employ more people, thereby contributing to the country," Dr.Nandagire said.
The GROW project implemented by the Ministry of Gender targets over 20,000 women around the country who will receive skills training to grow and sustain their businesses.
These will get essential business skills, including financial literacy, ICT, and business growth strategies.
Speaking on Monday, the director for the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Incubation Centre at MUBS said the 280 refugee women are part of the 20,000 that the program aims to train countrywide.
She noted that in many suburbs of Kampala, including Kansanga, Munyonyo and Kabalagala among others refugee women are running businesses but need to be supported to ensure they run their businesses better.
"Women are found in different spaces and therefore, to support Ugandan women and leave out refugee women could be unfair, especially if the latter have to settle in Uganda, have the entrepreneur spirit and have businesses they started in the communities where they settled. We want them to handle their customers better and handle their finances better."
"If we support such women, to do business better, Uganda as a country will benefit. We therefore want to give women refugees the necessary knowledge to help them run businesses."
According Mariam Mbeize, a Burundian refugee staying in Kawempe said having spent five years in Kampala, she started a restaurant in her area, noting that through the training, she hopes to get skills to ensure her business grows.
The GROW Project, which was launched in March 2023 as a government initiative funded by a grant from the International Development Association of the World Bank to a tune of US$217 million (approximately shs 802.9 billion).
The project aims to increase access to entrepreneurial services that enable female entrepreneurs to grow their enterprises, including refugee women and women in host districts.
The project was designed to respond to multiple constraints hindering women in business (entrepreneurs) from growing their businesses including but not limited to: inadequate business management skills; lack of access to affordable capital; limited access to common user manufacturing infrastructure and negative social norms that affect their participation in business.
There priority sectors eligible for GROW services include agribusiness, science and technology, services, manufacturing, and construction.
Copyright 2025 Nile Post. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (zaia news).
Tagged: Uganda, Women and Gender, Refugees and Displacement, East Africa, Conflict, Peace and Security
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Komentar
Posting Komentar