UWEP CONCERNED WITH WOMEN GHOST GROUPS, CALL FOR STRICT MONITORING

By Okoodi Deo
www.mknewslink.com
In Ntungamo—

Members of national executive committee for women councils have pledged to strengthen monitoring and supervision of women groups applying and receiving funds under Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme-UWEP.
The national chairperson for women councils Kibowa Farida says that the strategy will eliminate ghost women groups and even those that divert money received from the entrepreneurship programme.
Kibowa said this during the monitoring exercise in Ntungamo district where she visited women groups involved in different enterprises
The programme is an initiative by the Government to improve women’s access to financial services, equip them with the skills for enterprise growth, value addition and marketing of their products and services as well.
During the monitoring tour exercise the chairperson also said that during their term of office they will engage government to give women more funds so that all women groups which applied for funds are considered and emancipated.
According to Frank Mugabe the communications officer from the ministry of Gender, Labour and social development, the programme has not been able to fund as many women projects because of inadequate releases from the ministry of finance.
Mugabe says the programme has received 80 billion shillings since 2015-2016 Financial year and only40 billion shillings have so far been given to 6,788 women groups across the country adding that the rest of the money was spent on establishing systems like acquiring of office equipment.
The chairperson suggested creating a national central market for women products.

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