Backing Women in Business with UGX 5.088 Billion

On paper it's a UGX 5.088 billion financing facility. In practice, it's thousands of market stalls restocked, salons expanded, farms scaled, and payrolls met — all powered by credit that finally works for women, not against them. The first tranche of UGX 1.679 billion has already been disbursed under a performance-based structure, and CBS PEWOSA SACCO has officially moved from planning into full implementation.

GROW stands for Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises — a Government of Uganda programme funded by the World Bank and implemented through the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. Its mission is simple but powerful: get affordable, growth-stage capital into the hands of women entrepreneurs who are too big for a micro-loan but underserved by commercial banks.

CBS PEWOSA SACCO is proud to be channelling these funds directly to our members and communities — with the structure, supervision and support of one of the country's most ambitious economic empowerment programmes behind us.

This isn't the same old facility with a friendlier name. The GROW loan through CBS PEWOSA SACCO is designed around the real barriers women face — collateral, cost, and access.

• Friendly-collateral loans — security requirements designed for real businesses, not just landowners.
• Interest capped at 10% per annum — a fixed ceiling, far below typical market rates.
• Loans from UGX 2 million to UGX 200 million — room to start small or scale seriously.
• 80% reserved for new women borrowers in business for at least six months — rewarding those already doing the work.

The programme targets 694 women entrepreneurs, with a deliberate push beyond the capital and into communities that have long been underbanked. Focus regions span Greater Kampala, Luwero, Masaka and Mubende — with high-impact districts marked for special attention.

Highlighted districts are high-impact priority areas; the wider footprint reaches communities across the Buganda region.

"Our ambition is to become the leading women-focused financial institution in Buganda — and this facility is how we get there."

— CBS PEWOSA SACCO

Beyond the headline figure, GROW comes with a Portfolio Expansion Grant, a dedicated Women Borrowers Fund, and USD 70,000 in capacity-building support to strengthen how the SACCO operates. The intended result: higher household incomes, more jobs, faster-growing women-led SMEs, and deeper financial inclusion right across the region.

For our members, that translates into more access, more services, and a SACCO that's growing alongside them — expanding its membership and its reach into more communities.

This facility positions CBS PEWOSA SACCO for its next leap — a transition toward Tier 1 microfinance status, access to larger funding opportunities, and the credibility to attract more donors. We're planning branch and satellite expansion across Kassanda, Kyakwanzi, Butambala, Kyotera and Bukomansimbi, new products for youth, agriculture and the diaspora, and continued digital transformation — all delivered in partnership with PSFU and Government, Buganda Kingdom structures, and local women's networks.