Key Projects of Uganda

projects

Development of serviced accommodation

The Uganda Police Force has begun developing plans to increase the standards of the living accommodation, administration and training accommodation of local forces through a public–private partnership. The current standards of accommodation are poor. The Privatisation Unit of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has appointed a Transaction Advisor consisting of Turner and Townsend, G5 Specialised Finance, Deneys Reitz, the Infrastructure Design Forum and Shonubi Musoke and Co Advocates, to assist with the structuring of the project. It is anticipated that a public–private partnership model will maximise the benefits by using private sector capital and practices.

Vegetable Oil Development Project

Supervised by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Vegetable Oil Development Project (VODP) was launched in 1998, with a second phase of development (VODP2) implemented for the period 2010–18. The aims of the project are to increase the domestic production of vegetable oil and its by­products to support Uganda’s growth strategy. The project was implemented under a public–private partnership with financial support from the government for smallholder and out-grower oil development schemes, and the creation of a nucleus estate and palm oil mill by a private investor. In 2003 private investor BIDCO Uganda signed an agreement with the government for palm oil development in Kalangala. Current project activities are focused on oilseed development in Lira, Eastern Uganda, Gulu and West Nile. It is estimated that approximately 3,000 smallholder farmers and 136,000 households will directly benefit from the implementation of this project.

 

Public-Private Partnerships

PPPs

In recent years public–private partnerships have been introduced by the government to acquire and develop nationwide infrastructure as well as offer opportunities to improve service delivery. In 2002 the Ministry of Local Government, with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme, implemented a Public–Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment (PPPUE) project for the period 2002–04. The project was implemented by the ministry in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation Living Earth Uganda across six municipalities of Uganda and served to highlight the benefits of public–private partnerships regarding the delivery of poverty assistance services in the country.

In 2010, the government adopted the Public–Private Partnership Framework Policy for Uganda. In line with the new policy, the provision of public services and infrastructure will remain with the relevant government departments and state enterprises, with local government authorities tasked with the responsibility of identifying, developing and managing public–private partnership projects. The government anticipates that the policy will result in more efficient development of public infrastructure and an increase in economic growth and foreign direct investments. Further to this, in 2013 the Ministry of Local Government and the United Nations Development Project developed Public–Private Partnerships Guidelines for Local. The country has received assistance from the Public–Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) in developing the country’s infrastructure on multiple occasions since the turn of the century. The PPIAF operates through the transport, energy and water sectors in Uganda, and carries out prefeasibility studies for infrastructure development and privatisation implementation strategies, amongst other tasks.

 

Public–private partnerships for education

Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) is a global organisation that promotes access to education in Africa. In Uganda, the organisation builds and manages a network of low-cost, sustainable secondary schools in areas where these are non­existent or over-saturated. PEAS provides the initial funding, but once construction is complete the schools operate using minimal school fees and income-generating activities as funding. The government awarded PEAS schools a government capitation grant through a public–private partnership initiative. PEAS schools provide education to 8,200 students in 21 schools across Uganda.