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The European Union (EU) and the Federal Republic of Germany have committed grant financing to the tune of Euro 36.4 million (UGX 160 billion) to support Ugandan civil society organisations and to promote rural development as well as climate smart agriculture, particularly in Northern Uganda.

The two programmes “Civil Society in Uganda Support Programme” (CUSP) and “Promoting Rural Development in Northern Uganda” (PRUDEV) will be implemented by the German implementing agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit – GIZ. They are being co-funded by the European Union (Euro 30 million) and the German Federal Government (Euro 6.4 million).

In this context, a new cooperation office was officially opened in Gulu on Friday June 23rd, by German Ambassador Albrecht Conze, EU Head of Cooperation Cédric Merel, and the Cabinet Minister for Local Government Hon. Col. Tom Butime.

CUSP will be implemented nationwide by GIZ and has a strong focus on technical assistance and capacity development to strengthen Civil Society Organizations and to promote their interaction with relevant state institutions. The aim is to contribute to a environment conducive for civil society participation in the development of Uganda. The programme will support organizations providing services in a wide range of sectors, such as infrastructure, water, energy, rural development, and good governance with a special focus on women and  youth.

“The European Union has a strong focus on the North of Uganda which is also reflected in EU-funded projects such as the Development Iniativie for Northern Uganda, the Promotion of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Programme and the Enhanced Water Security and Sanitation Programme. I am therefore very pleased that through this new office and the two co-funded programmes, the EU is able to extend its presence in the North and intensify its efforts to contribute to sustainable development of Northern Uganda,” said Mr Merel, at the opening of the new office.

PRUDEV on the other hand is aimed at improving local economic development in Northern Uganda, with a strong focus on market integration through improving management skills of agricultural producers and processors. Selected local governments will be assisted in the implementation of their respective local economic development plan. Furthermore, the programme will promote climate-smart agriculture (CSA) amongst smallholder farmers to help mitigate climate change.

German Ambassador Dr. Albrecht Conze stated that by opening a regional programme office, Germany underlines its support for Northern Uganda which is provided by technical as well as financial assistance, by fostering economic development, supporting energy and infrastructure development and contributing to a meaningful cooperation between the district administration, civil society and the citizens themselves. “I truly believe that the districts are key to any successful policy implementation and likewise a critical success factor for sustainable development. Opening a regional office underlines this statement as it symbolizes that capacity building and technical advise are getting closer to the action on the ground where change can manifest itself for both the Ugandan administration as well as citizens. I am very thankful that the Minister for Local Government, Hon. Butime took the time to participate in this important occassion and together with many LC5 and CAO district representatives jointly inaugurated the programme office,” said Amb. Conze.

Both programmes are meant to promote sustainable development of Northern Uganda by improving livelihoods and encouraging meaningful political participation.

For more information please contact:

• Jenny Herrmann, Press and Cultural Affairs, Embassy of Germany: +256 414 501 111 or pr-100@kamp.auswaertiges-amt.de
• Emmanuel Davies Gyezaho, Press and Information Officer, Delegation of the European Union: +256 312 701 235 or Emmanuel-Davies.Gyezaho@eeas.europa.eu

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On June 20, 2018, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Uganda joined the Government of Uganda, other UN agencies and partners to commemorate World Refugee Day at Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Isingiro district.

Nakivale, one of the oldest refugee settlements in Uganda, opened in 1958 and was officially established as a settlement in 1960. The settlement hosts more than 100 000 refugees from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan. As part of Uganda’s comprehensive refugee policy, refugees in Nakivale and other settlements receive a piece of land to cultivate crops and produce food to sustain their health and livelihoods. But with a growing influx of refugees in Uganda (approximately 1.4 million refugees), making it the largest refugee hosting country in Africa, promoting sustainable food production and resilient livelihoods is increasingly critical for the wellbeing of refugees and their harmonious integration with host communities.

Within this context, FAO in Uganda is supporting the Government of Uganda to provide sustainable solutions that enhance agricultural livelihoods, supporting refugee and host communities to be resilient as well as food and nutrition secure. FAO provides planting materials and inputs for small-scale vegetable, staple food and poultry production as well as entrepreneurship and animal husbandry training, to help build refugees’ resilience to shocks.

Together with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), FAO implemented a joint FAO/OPM Resilience Index Measurement Analysis (RIMA) in 2018 and found that 97 percent of host community members and 95 percent of refugees are engaged in crop production. These findings have helped to back FAO’s continued support to enhancing livelihoods of refugees in Uganda.

Currently, FAO in Uganda is implementing interventions targeting about 300,000 beneficiaries in nine refugee settlements in the following districts: Adjumani (Maaji and Agojo), Arua (Imvepi, Rhino Camp and Omogo), Kiryandongo (Kiryandongo) Lamwo (Palabek), Moyo (Palorinya) and Yumbe (Bidibidi). These refugee communities receive support in form of agriculture inputs such as seeds, training in sustainable agriculture, livestock health and nutrition and climate change adaptation among others.

FAO will also support income generating opportunities for more than 105 000 refugee and 45 000 host community households in Yumbe, Moyo, Arua and Lamwo through the promotion of farm diversification, introduction of high value crops and establishment of poultry units. Furthermore, FAO will work with the UN Refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to establish about 1000 Hectares of woodlots of fast-maturing trees in refugee settlements, for fuelwood, reduced reliance on natural forests and environmental conservation.

According to Priya Gujadhur, Deputy Country Representative and Acting Representative at FAO in Uganda, “FAO believes that supporting medium to long-term livelihoods and sustainable economic opportunities as well as better access to input and output markets and technologies, empowers refugees and their host communities to overcome hunger and poverty, while preserving the environment”, she added.

Speaking during the national celebrations which also marked 60 years of Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees- Honourable Hillary Onek, thanked the Government of Uganda and partners for standing with refugees. However, he noted that although Uganda is providing an enabling environment for refugees, several challenges persist, especially in provision of productive land for sustainable food production, environmental restoration and security for refugees.

“Hosting refugees comes with challenges…including provision of socio welfare services such as healthcare, water and sanitation, livelihood opportunities and education,” he said. However, through partnerships such as the REHOPE Framework with the United Nations, Uganda has been able to improve livelihoods of refugees, some of whom are now even engaged in business and farming.

On behalf of the Government of Uganda, Honourable Onek committed to strengthening the Country Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) towards harmonized refugee response for better outcomes.
Towards sustainable interventions for greater refugee resilience

Although the focus of interventions ranges across the humanitarian and development spectrum, most of the focus to date has been on short-term, lifesaving activities. In order for the progressive Uganda Refugee framework to be successful in the medium- and long-term, the refugee response needs to facilitate refugees’ inclusion in the national development agenda, increasing their resilience through improved access to sustainable agricultural livelihood opportunities for women and men.

The inclusive integration of refugees into development strategies will positively affect refugees as well as the host communities. Thus, FAO interventions focus on strengthening food security and self-reliance by increasing and diversifying sustainable agricultural production through interventions to strengthen local and national capacity, promote inclusion and build social cohesion among refugees and host communities. Since 2015, FAO’s refugee and host community response programme has mobilized US$ 6.6 million and supported 301 655 beneficiaries (223 567 refugees and 78 088 members of the host community).

FAO’s Refugee and Host Community Response Roadmap (2018 – 2020) is built on three intertwined pillars – Livelihoods stabilization; Socio-economic empowerment; and Enabling the environment – that require simultaneous attention and resources. The Roadmap outlines how FAO will use its comparative advantage to promote the dignity, resilience and sustainable development of refugee and host communities to achieve food and nutrition security.

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The Government of Uganda and the World Bank on June 19, 2018, launched “Closing the potential-performance divide in Ugandan agriculture” report that provides an unprecedented review of the structural context of Ugandan agriculture, its main actors, and the trends, opportunities and challenges the sector is facing.

Agriculture is Uganda’s ‘green gold’ that can transform the economy and the lives of farmers.  Why is it then that Uganda’s well documented agricultural potential is not realized? What specific public policies and actions are required to unleash the entrepreneurial energy of Uganda’s largest private sector actors—its farmers? These and other questions are tackled in the report.

The report identifies three priority areas for policy action and investment, namely, (a) commercialization through value-addition and trade; (b) strengthened public institutions and policy implementation, and (c) enhanced resilience of agriculture production and rural livelihoods.

“Economic growth and poverty move with the fortunes of Uganda’s agriculture sector, which, in turn, depends on the whims of the weather. Farmers will not invest in commercial agriculture while counterfeit and poor-quality inputs dominate the market. They need to be able trust the distribution system, and have tenure security and access to finance. This require effective policies and regulations, and that politics steers clear of the agriculture sector,” said Christina Malmberg Calvo, World Bank Country Manager for Uganda.

The report notes several structural barriers in Uganda’s agriculture sector, such as declining productivity, natural resource degradation, and high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. The low level of tenure security and financial inclusion of smallholders, and comparably weak regulatory measures and poor quality-control systems have been found to limit technology adoption and to hamper agribusiness development. While public budget allocations for agriculture have remained modest, inefficiencies in spending are high.

Booming domestic and regional demand for higher-value foods arising from income growth, urbanization, and dietary shifts offer massive opportunities for Ugandan farmers, for value chains beyond farm production, and for better jobs in agriculture. Other sector potentials include developments in agricultural technology and ICT, and various successful agribusiness models that could be upscaled.

Strengthening the institutional base of agriculture, removing identified distortions, facilitating trade, and enhancing resilience through climate-smart agriculture and low-cost irrigation systems   can help closing the divide between the potential and actual performance of Ugandan agriculture. Government needs to drive these high priority actions by forging a pact with the farmers and other private sector actors.

“A productive and climate-smart agriculture sector requires an effective enabling environment. Providing that environment is the role of the Government. Uganda’s agriculture sector may not be transformed overnight. But making the right adjustments now will be critical to realize the Vision 2040,” said Holger Kray, Head of the World Bank’s Africa Agriculture Policy Unit and the study leader.

Links:

• Blog: “Agriculture is the ‘green gold’ that could transform the economy and the lives of Ugandan farmers”
• Feature story: “Making Farming More Productive and Profitable for Ugandan Farmers”
• Fact Sheet: Closing the Potential-Performance Divide in Ugandan Agriculture

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The Ambassador of Italy, H. E. Domenico Fornara, and the Minister of Health of the Republic of Uganda, Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, inaugurated the new Radiology Department of Gulu Regional Referral Hospital (Gulu RRH) on June 19, 2018 – built and equipped entirely by the Italian cooperation.

The initiative is part of the activities of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in Uganda, and in particular, within the framework of Aid Project n. 8472 “North Uganda Integrated Health Programme at University, Hospital and District level”.

The Initiative was articulated along three main pillars:

1. Support to the didactic and research activities of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Gulu with supply of equipment and teaching tools, training medical students and district health staff and financing scientific initiatives and operating research at district level;
2. Support to clinical and training activities of the two Hospitals in Gulu (Gulu Regional Referral Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor), through structural interventions and purchase of clinical equipment and;
3. Support to Mental Health Services at University, Hospital and community levels, in the Districts of Gulu and Amuru, with special attention to mental health in the post-conflict realities.

The total value of the initiative is approximately Euros 2.5 million.

In this context, the construction of the new Radiology building of, which covers a surface area of over 500 square meters, was completed during the course of 2015. The building was handed over to the hospital in November of the same year.

The radiological equipment, consisting of a radiology unit with computerized data acquisition and storage of images (Digital Imaging), ultrasound machine with printing accessories and protection of electrical power supply (UPS), was provided during the year 2017. In the early months of 2018, the Uganda Atomic Energy Council approved the machinery thus allowing it to enter into full operation.

With the ceremony, the ward was handed over to the Uganda Health Authorities and can now provide radiological services, previously hardly available, to the people of Gulu and the neighboring districts, in a catchment area estimated at over 500,000 people – predominantly low-income rural families.

During his stay in Gulu, Ambassador Fornara also visited St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor, supported by the Italian NGO “Fondazione Corti”. On the occasion, the hospital staff presented to the Ambassador the ongoing activities under the initiative “Results Based Financing”, co-financed by AICS within the Call for Civil Society Organizations 2017, which consist of the use of innovative method of financing health services, based on incentives to maximize quality service delivery, in particular that of Pediatric care. The said intervention is coherent with the National Policy of Uganda entitled Performance Based Financing, to which the Italian Cooperation also contributed to its drafting in the past.

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On June 19, 2018, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Postbank of Uganda (PBU) and Posta Uganda signed a grant agreement aimed at expanding the role of postal networks in the delivery of remittances and access to financial inclusion across the country.

The new project, “Scaling Up Remittances and Financial Inclusion in Uganda,” will provide remittances services in poor rural communities as well as in refugee settlements, many of which are taking in those fleeing conflict and food insecurity in neighbouring South Sudan.

The IFAD grant agreement for Euro 465,000 was signed by Adolfo Brizzi, Director of IFAD’s Policy and Technical Advisory Division, in the presence of Alex Kayaayo, Executive Director of  Postbank Uganda. The signing took place following the Global Forum on Remittances, Investment and Development, held 15-16 June at UN headquarters in New York.

Under the agreement, Postbank Uganda will leverage Posta Uganda’s broad network of rural post offices to expand access to financial services for the rural population. The post offices will be equipped with modern digital and mobile technologies for remittance delivery and financial services transactions, and postal staff will receive specialized training. By March 2019, the project aims to increase the number of remittance recipients it serves by 50,000. In addition, it expects to provide remittance delivery services to 20,000 refugees as well as training in financial literacy.

In a country where the cost of sending and receiving remittances is still very high (above 12 per cent),  the new project aims to reduce transaction costs of sending money home to 3 per cent (the Sustainable Development Goals target) and eliminate all corridors (for example between the United States and Uganda) above 5 per cent.  It also expects to increase accessibility to remittance-linked financial products and services.

Globally, about 40 per cent of remittances are sent to rural areas where the majority of poor people live. This money is spent on food, health care, better educational opportunities and improved housing and sanitation. Remittances are therefore critical to help developing countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The project is an outcome originating from the African Postal Financial Services Initiative, a program managed by IFAD jointly with the World Bank, Universal Postal Union, United Nations Capitol Development Fund, and World Savings Banks Institute and co-financed by the European Commission. The Initiative helped expand the role of postal networks in 11 African countries in delivery of remittances and access to financial services.

Over the last decade, IFAD has piloted over 50 programmes to leverage the impact of remittances in rural areas in more than 40 developing countries, helping to aid the flow of funds and giving families more options to invest their money and create opportunities for business development and employment.

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The European Union Delegation to the Republic of Uganda (EUD), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, have made available, grant financing to the tune of Euro 26.9 million (UGX 118 billion) to support Ugandan civil society organisations.

The new programme, launched officially in Kampala on 31 May is titled, the “Civil Society in Uganda Support Programme” (CUSP). CUSP will be implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) in Uganda.

CUSP is jointly funded by the European Union (Euro 25 million) and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development-BMZ (Euro 1.9 million). It has a strong focus on technical assistance and capacity development both of CSOs and relevant state institutions. The aim is to building a conducive environment for State-CSOs’ dialogue and improving framework conditions for civil society participation in the development of Uganda. CUSP complements other efforts of the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and other Development Partners in supporting the Ugandan civil society with technical and financial assistance.

The programme will target CSOs operating in a wide range of sectors, such as Infrastructure, including transport, water, and energy; Green Economy; Rural Development, and Good Governance. These are the focal sectors of respective development cooperation frameworks of the European Union and Germany with Uganda.
CUSP will be implemented nationwide by GIZ within the dedicated Strengthening Governance and Civil Society Programme (GCSP). The establishment of regional hubs, including in Kampala, Gulu and Mbale, will facilitate the implementation all over the country. The regional hubs in Gulu and Mbale will be officially opened soon.

“The EU believes in the strong role CSOs play for any country’s development. The CUSP programme will leverage CSOs’ contributions and their complementarity to Government and Private Sector led interventions towards the objective of ‘contributing to reduced poverty through better governance,” said European Union Ambassador to Uganda, H.E Attilio Pacifici.

The EU Ambassador led the launch of the programme in Kampala, at Sheraton Kampala, alongside the Chairperson of the National Planning Authority, Dr. Wilberforce Kisamba Mugerwa, the Chargé d’Affaires of the German Embassy, Ms. Petra Kochendörfer, the Country Director of GIZ Uganda, Mr. Christian Schnurre, and a Member of the Board of the NGO Bureau Mrs. Margaret Sekaggya. The large audience was composed of representatives of government ministries, civil society, the media and other invited guests.

“CUSP’s definition of civil society includes all actors that are non-state and non-profit”, emphasised Ms. Petra Kochendörfer. “Hence, the programme will address a wide range of civil society actors in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture and governance”, she added.

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Improving tax revenue is essential to sustaining economic growth in Uganda, according to a recent World Bank economic analysis for the country. The Uganda Economic Update, Financing Growth and Development: Options for Raising More Domestic Revenues, says that while economic growth has rebounded from 4.5% to 5.5% this financial year, tax collections currently account for 14% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), lower than regional peers, and short of the government’s target of 16%. This hinders the country’s capacity to finance investments in infrastructure and deliver essential services.

“Tax is an important source of domestic revenue for a government, and central to spurring growth and opportunity for Uganda to attain its development goals,” said Rachel Sebudde, World Bank senior economist and lead author of the economic update. “Without it, citizens would not be able to have good roads, or access to quality and affordable health care and education.”

Taxes are one of three main sources of government revenue. Borrowing from the local financial markets, and overseas development assistance, while important sources of development finance, are declining steadily and are often not sufficient, the report notes. Loans from the domestic market tend to have higher interests than foreign borrowing, and often have shorter repayment periods, which sometimes reduces government spending on key priorities.

Uganda’s modern tax system is regulated by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), which oversees tax administration, offers 24-hour online tax services through eTax, and undertakes regular tax education for clients. This one-stop center has brought together all the local tax authorities under one roof, easing tax payments. At the same time, the Tax Appeals Tribunal has been instrumental in resolving tax disputes. URA’s customs department has automated cargo-tracking, and extended tax handling services to the Kenyan seaport of Mombasa, which handles the bulk of Uganda’s exports and imports.

Despite these innovations, the report says a small percentage of Uganda’s citizens pay taxes. In addition, about 80%of businesses are informal and transact in cash, making it difficult to track and assess them for tax, according to the update.

Naluggya Hanifa, a hairdresser in Kawempe, does not pay taxes. She is self-employed and attends to clients in their homes. Naluggya has dreams of starting her own hairdressing business and is willing to pay taxes as a business owner – if her business is profitable.

“If I am making money, I have no problem paying taxes,” Hanifa said. In her view, everyone should pay taxes, regardless of size of business, because the government needs taxes to deliver on services.

On the other hand, Adong Winnie, a tailor in Gulu, Northern Uganda, said her tax bill is too high. She pays a local service tax of UGX 70,000 (US$20) and UGX 135,000 (US$40) annually for a trading license.

“I am in this tailoring business only for survival, and I feel cheated paying all that money,” she said. “I will just close my shop.”

Within the formal sector, many businesses evade or avoid paying taxes by under-declaring their income, while many foreign firms and organizations enjoy generous tax exemptions, according to the report. Total Value Added Tax (VAT) collections, a tax imposed on the consumption of domestic and imported goods and services, are currently at 4% of GDP, the report says, but without VAT exemptions, the government could collect up to 6.5% of GDP. Personal income tax currently contributes 10% of the country’s total revenue, far below the 40% regional average.

According to the economic update, Uganda could raise up to 23% of GDP annually if it undertakes tax reforms to reduce leakages, expands the tax base by tapping into hard-to-reach economic activities, and improve efficiency of its revenue administration systems.

“If everyone played their part, total collections would rise dramatically and the country would be able to meet a larger part of its spending obligations, currently met through borrowing,” added Sebudde.

The Economic Update also recommends:

• The use of credit and debit cards, improved regulation of businesses, and simpler and publicly accessible tax procedures to potentially bring taxable entities and hidden transactions into easy reach.
• Improving efficiency of existing instruments and applying them correctly could rationalize tax exemptions to ensure that the criteria is defined and properly enforced.
• Reducing tax expenditures to minimize revenue foregone arising from tax exemptions
• Improving efficiency and effectiveness of revenue administrations such as the Uganda Revenue Authority, local governments (for own source revenue), state owned enterprises (for investment income) and ministries, departments and agencies (non-tax revenue).
• Enhancing public awareness, transparency, and civil society engagement to increase voluntary tax compliance.

“A strong social contract which encourages tax compliance exists when citizens relate tax payment to actual services delivered by their central or local governments,” said Moses Misach Kajubi, World Bank senior public sector specialist and co-author of the update. “Greater accountability and transparency can also enhance greater confidence by tax payers that their taxes are and will be spent well.”

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The project entitled, Fostering Sustainability and Resilience for Food Security in the Karamoja Region (SURE –Karamoja), was launched by Honourable Vincent Sempijja, Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and witnessed by Ms. Rosa Malango, the UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Priya Gujadhur, FAO’s acting Country Representative, Mr. Jean-Marc Sinnassamy, the Global Environmental Fund (GEF)’s Senior Environment Specialist as well as local leaders from the Karamoja region.

The five year Government led initiative which will focus on improving food security and environmental sustainability in the region has been made possible with support from the Global Environment Fund (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

“The Government of Uganda has over the years worked hard to pacify the Karamoja region paving way for development initiatives such as this new SURE Karamoja project,” Hon. Ssempijja, the agriculture minister said before officially launching the project, adding that it was the second initiative his ministry was bringing to the region to address food security concerns.

He further said that this new initiative would build on and add value to work started by other projects by delivering innovative practices, technologies and approaches that enhance the resilience of food production systems and long-term environmental sustainability in the Karamoja sub-region in line with the national vision, ” said Hon. Vincent Sempijja.

Agreeing with him, Ms. Rosa Malango explained the new project was intended to address the impacts of climate change which are threatening food security and livelihoods around the world including Uganda, by empowering communities who depend on their natural resources for their livelihoods.

“Through this initiative we will work with local authorities and communities to increase food production, land productivity and environmental sustainability. We will also help diversify opportunities for local communities to improve their livelihoods. This is key to ensuring that no one is left behind as Uganda implements its National Vision and the Sustainable Development Goals in this region,” said Ms. Malango.

The region’s local leaders led by Andrew Napaja, the Local Council V chairman, called for affirmative action on irrigation and mechanisation of agriculture in the region.

“What Karamoja needs is water for their crops as well as their livestock, we do not have a single tractor in the entire region and we need them to open up large tracts of land for agriculture” Mr. Napaja said.

He thanked the United Nations for the work they have done in the region, emphasizing that UNDP’s support towards peace had led to calm both within the region and across borders with their neighbors while FAO’s support to agriculture has increased interest in crop cultivation as well as improved livestock.

Priya Gujadhur, FAO’s acting Country Representative said the new project would continue FAO’s long standing engagement with the Government of Uganda and the Ministry of Agriculture to promote sustainable land management.

The importance of ensuring that gender considerations are met during implementation were emphasised during discussions on project implementation with a call on local leaders to ensure that both men and women are able to benefit.

“The burden of taking care of the family including growing food is mostly on the women in this region, we need the men participating too and I hope this project will address some of these issues,” Anne Lemukol, Nakapiripirit district production & marketing officer said during discussions on the project implementation modalities.

The USD 65m project will be implemented by the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries (MAAIF), with support from UNDP, FAO, the four District Local Governments which have been selected for implementation. These include; Kotido, Kaabong, Nakapiripirit and Moroto. Various other partners from Private Sector and Civil Society will also take part in implementation at the local level.

The project is funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF) to a tune of US$ 7 million, UNDP with US$ 13 million contribution and co-financing from the Government of Uganda including US$ 24 million from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and US$ 21 million from Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.

“This SURE Karamoja initiative is under the GEF’s integrated approach for food security in Sub Saharan Africa and we look forward to achieving a positive long term impact in the Karamoja region, “Jean-Marc Sinnassamy , GEF’s senior environment specialist said.

Local communities in the four selected districts will benefit from this initiative by becoming active participants as the UN works with the local leadership to demonstrate and promote climate smart agricultural practises which increase crop yield while protecting the environment. These approaches have been tested successfully in other cattle corridor districts in Eastern Uganda where yield for crops such as beans and maize has doubled per unit of land area.

In addition, this initiative will promote soil and water conservation, which is important for the region as soils are drained of water as soon as the dry season sets in. Most importantly, the project will promote agro-pastoral systems, encouraging farmers to keep their cattle which are an important resource for the people of Karamoja while increasing the yield of their harvests.

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On Wednesday 16, 2018, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Irish Embassy, Áine Doody, joined a crowd of several hundred elderly people in Moroto, Karamoja, as they awaited their monthly social protection payment.

Amounting to 25,000 shillings – or about €7 a month – the payment is provided to elderly people over the age of 65 in 47 districts across the country, and is funded through the government’s Expanding Social Protection Programme (ESPP), with support from the Irish government.

This payment is largely used to buy food, pay for health care and education fees for children, buy livestock and repair houses, and can have a large impact on a family’s life, particularly in Karamoja, Uganda’s poorest region.

On the day that Áine visited, the payment was being used in a new and innovative way.

Recognizing that the regular large gathering of senior citizens presented an opportunity to provide services, raise awareness and share information, the ESPP collaborated with international eye health organizations, Sightsavers and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust Trachoma Initiative, to provide free eye examinations to the waiting crowds.

If needed, the senior citizens were also brought to the local hospital to receive surgery and/or antibiotics for a range of conditions including cataracts and trachoma. Many of the people treated had been suffering from these painful and debilitating conditions for many years unaware of and unable to access the various treatments available. Reading glasses were also on offer that day but sadly there was very little demand given the very high rates of illiteracy in the region.

Stephen Kasaija, head of ESPP, under which the Senior Citizens Grant falls, said: “We recognize that various forms of disability impede access and full benefit from programmes such as the Senior Citizens Grant. Our target population is highly vulnerable to the effects of disability. That is why the ESP Programme is exploring partnerships and linking our beneficiaries to available services that address disability challenges. In this way we not only improve their wellbeing and welfare, we also improve access and the impacts of our grants.”

Ireland has been supporting the ESPP in Uganda since 2010. Sightsavers is also funded by Irish Aid Headquarters receiving approximately €1.5 million annually.

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