IFAD-funded projects contribute to higher household incomes in Uganda - IOE
Rome, 5 February 2021 – Rural development projects co-financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have helped to increase household incomes in Uganda over the past seven years. This and other issues were presented earlier today, as Ugandan senior policy makers and representatives of IFAD’s Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE) met to discuss the findings of a country strategy and programme evaluation (CSPE), carried out in Uganda in 2020.
Key to the achievements of IFAD’s co-financed projects in Uganda has been the building of infrastructure and market support services, which have reduced transport costs and increased market prices due to improved road access. Equally important have been IFAD’s investments in rural finance, which have supported regulatory reforms and linkages between local savings and credit groups and service providers.
Organized by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development of the government of Uganda and IFAD’s IOE, in collaboration with IFAD’s East and Southern Africa Division, the on-line virtual workshop brought together policy makers from the Ministries of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and Local Government, and development counterparts, civil society organizations and private partners.
During the event, meeting participants discussed the main findings, recommendations and issues emerging from the CSPE, reflected on opportunities and challenges in the IFAD-Government partnership, addressed strategic priorities for IFAD's continued financing in Uganda, and agreed to finalize and sign the evaluation’s Agreement at Completion Point (ACP)*.
Uganda’s economy has grown strongly in the past 20 years, during which time agriculture has provided a quarter of the country’s GDP whilst employing 72% of its labour force. However, multiple structural challenges have constrained agricultural growth, including climate change and unsustainable natural resource consumption patterns.
To offset these challenges, government policy frameworks have sought to transform agriculture into a commercially viable sector around a set of key value chains. However, notable challenges remain. Moreover, while overall funding for agriculture has fallen below the government’s international commitment, the rising impacts of climate change could setback IFAD’s achievements if not addressed promptly.
Looking forward, the meeting called for exploring ways to expand IFAD’s effective value chain approach to other commodities with greater beneficiary outreach potential, for mainstreaming climate change more extensively in IFAD’s future in-country investments, and for delivering more transformative approaches and interventions tailored to the specific needs of women and youths.
For further information, please contact Alexander Voccia at [email protected].
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*NOTE: The ACP summarizes the main CSPE findings and recommendations, which the Government of Uganda (represented by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development) and IFAD (represented by the Associate Vice-President of the Programme Management Department) agree to adopt and implement within a specific timeframe. The role of IOE is to facilitate the preparation and finalization of the ACP, which will be included in the Uganda CSPE final report, to be presented to IFAD’s Evaluation Committee in March 2021.
