Chair Details
NAME: Phan Thi Phuong Huyen
ORGANISATION: World Bank
EMAIL: hphan5@worldbank.org
Co Chair Details
NAME: Samuel Mabala
ORGANISATION: Cities Alliance
EMAIL: smabala@citiesalliance.org
Key DPG messages/Priorities
- Uganda is urbanizing at a fast pace but the quality of urban growth remains inadequate in terms of living conditions, housing, service delivery and productivity.
- Uganda’s urban areas are yet to become the drivers of national structural transformation through industrialization and development of the high-tech sector; their present pattern of economic development is based on addition of low-paying low-productivity jobs.
- Low quality of urban growth results in growing socio-economic inequality and threatens to undermine Uganda’s achievements in poverty eradication; urban areas drive the national income up.
- The Government funding to the urban sector remains low despite its strategic importance; mobilization of alternative finance for urban development is an urgent priority as is expansion of budget and fiscal autonomy of cities.
- Uganda’s high urbanization rate has not been matched by the capacity of local authorities to plan and manage urban growth.
- The initiative to create new cities is timely and meets the development needs of the country but its implementation requires better institutional coordination and significant resources.
- The GKMA is a very strategic area for the country but such urban primacy carries certain risks and it is critical to adopt an integrated approach towards GKMA development to maintain and promote the vital economic contribution.
Objectives
The main purpose of the Urban Development Partners’ Group is to promote development effectiveness in line with international principles and agreements to effectively support sustainable urban development in Uganda in line with National Development Plan III and Vision 2040 and to create a common vision among DPs of how to effectively contribute to improved urban policies and investments in urban development. The work of the group focus on delivering a coordinated response to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation) and Goal 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable).
The main objectives of the group are to:
- Provide a forum for coordination with the ambition to harmonise and speak with one voice amongst bilateral and multilateral partners supporting urban development with and to align to government plans and budgets;
- Increase sharing of information, facilitate participation and strategize on priorities and reduce transaction costs for Government and development partners in implementing the urban sector development plan;
- Ensure accountability of Government and development partners in delivering urban services to the citizens of Uganda.