Category: Governance
Press Release: United States Contributes US$9 Million To WFP To Support Refugees In Uganda (06.10.2015)
KAMPALA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a contribution of US$9 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide food assistance for more than 320,000 refugees living in Uganda.
“This generous contribution has arrived just in time, as a funding shortfall was threatening to force WFP to reduce rations for refugees, including the new South Sudanese arrivals,” said acting Country Director Michael Dunford. “Those cuts will not be necessary now, and we are extremely grateful to USAID for its lifesaving support for people fleeing conflict in neighbouring countries and seeking refuge in Uganda.”
Dunford said WFP will use the funding, received through USAID’s Office of Food for Peace, to purchase more than 13,000 metric tons of cereals and beans within Uganda for more than 300,000 refugees.
The support will also allow WFP to provide cash to 20,000 refugees in areas where markets are able to meet the demand. As well as meeting the immediate food needs of refugees, cash assistance has the added benefit of allowing some flexibility for the refugees to buy nutritious foods that may not be part of WFP’s food basket and to manage their household food resources themselves.
This contribution brings USAID’s 2015 WFP support to refugees in Uganda and extremely vulnerable populations in Karamoja to an estimated US$26 million.
Uganda currently hosts more than 490,000 refugees, mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan and Burundi. Roughly two-thirds of the refugees in Uganda depend on WFP to meet their basic food needs.
WFP’s assistance for refugees is closely coordinated with the Government of Uganda through the Office of the Prime Minister, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and NGOs.
Press Release: The Fourth Meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission between Sudan and South Sudan opens in Addis Ababa (06.10.2015)
Letters of Certification from The Electoral Commission (EMT 19/01) on the Presidential Candidatures of flag-bearers of the NRM, the TDA and the FDC (Uganda, 02.10.2015)
Press Release: New party elections dates set for the NRM-Party (06.10.2015)
The Electoral Commission of the National Resistance Movement has set new dates for key party elections
At a press conference addressed by NRM deputy Secretary General Richard Todwong, Deputy Treasurer Kenneth Omona and Part EC chairman Tanga Odoi, elections for LCIII chairpersons, LCIII councilors, LCIII women councilors, LCV councilors, municipal councilors, division councilors and city division councilors for Buganda and Kampala will take place on October 12.
“On 26/11/2016, primaries for Constituency MPs, Woman MPs, LCV chairpersons, Lord mayor and Municipal Mayors,” A press release signed by Mr Todwong and Dr. Odoi reads in part.
Elections for LCIII chairpersons/councilors and district councilors for Bushenyi and Kanungu Districts will take place at date to be agreed on after meeting elders and stakeholders of the two districts on the 15th and 16th for Bushenyi and Kanungu respectively. Elections for Kyeizoba NRM 111 will take place on Saturday October 17.
At the same media briefing, it was announced that the first meeting of the third national conference will take place between October 30-Nov 2nd at Namboole.
“Nomination of the NRM presidential candidate H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will take place on November 3.” Thereafter the President will address a post-nomination public rally at Kololo.
Press Release: UWONET, ACFODE, FOWODE and CEWIGO Joint Press Statement on the recently passed obnoxious Amendments (05.10.2015)
Ring fencing political posistions not healthy for Uganda’s Democracy and Gender equality:
On October 2, 2015 the Electoral Commission announced the amendments passed by Parliament of Uganda to Presidential and Parliamentary Acts in preparation for the 2016 elections. Among the announcements was the increment in nomination fees for aspirants in the 2016 elections. Barely two months to the nomination of members of Parliament and Local Councilors MPs passed nomination fees which in the opinion of women of Uganda is intended to bar many upcoming women and youth from accessing political positions of leadership. According to the amendments, MPs are expected to pay nomination fees of 3,000,000/- up from 200,000/- in 2011.
It is a fact that most women and youth are challenged by limited resources and face an uphill task to raise money to contest in an election. The majority of civil servants are teachers some of whom are preparing to contest in the forthcoming elections. On average, a secondary school teacher in Uganda takes home about 450,000/= per month while their counterparts in primary school earn about 250,000/=. The newly passed nomination fee for MPs and local councilors is simply out of reach for the majority of Ugandans who would want to serve the country. It is common knowledge that aspirants must prepare for their election and fundraise.
However, this can be done more easily if candidates are not caught un- aware about critical items they must raise money for like nomination fees especially within an unrealistic time frame. In addition, political parties which at times assist candidates with nomination fees do not have resources since majority hardly receive any funds from their members.
The President of Uganda H.E. Y.K Museveni has on a number of occasions professed the importance of quality men and women in leadership. In 1995, affirmative action was passed by Parliament to give women, youth and people with disabilities an opportunity to participate in leadership by redressing imbalances created by history and tradition. This law therefore goes against these principles and is a back track on the importance of providing equal opportunities for men and women in leadership bearing in mind the limited economic opportunities in Uganda.
We are therefore calling on all political parties to reject this amendment in its totality.
We call for a revision of the amendments in order to enhance participation of citizens especially women and youth in the forth-coming elections.
UNITED WOMEN CAN!
Press Release No. 15/460: IMF Staff Completes Review Mission to Uganda (5.10.2015)
A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Ana Lucía Coronel, IMF Mission Chief and Senior Resident Representative in Uganda, visited Kampala from September 24 to October 5, 2015, to conduct the fifth review of Uganda’s economic program supported by the Policy Support Instrument (PSI).1
At the end of the mission, Ms. Coronel, issued the following statement:
“Despite the global and regional economic challenges and election-related uncertainties, Uganda’s recent economic performance has been mostly favorable. Real economic growth —led by increased public investment—reached 5 percent in FY2014/15, slightly below staff projections, but well above the FY2013/14 level (4.5 percent). Core inflation accelerated to 6.7 percent year on year in September but remains within the Bank of Uganda’s target band. International reserves remain at comfortable levels”.
“Uganda is not immune to the difficult external environment affecting other countries. Together with domestic nervousness relating to the upcoming elections, external shocks and uncertainty have resulted in a sharp decline in the shilling (27 percent over the past year), creating challenges for policy makers. The exchange rate depreciation raised domestic prices given the high import content of the consumption basket, created uncertainty for consumers and investors, and generated market uneasiness. The mission welcomed the authorities’ proactive and effective response to the challenging situation, notable the timely monetary tightening, which has helped curb further inflationary pressures”,
“Performance under the PSI was satisfactory. The end-June 2015 fiscal, external, and inflation targets were mostly met. There was significant progress on increasing tax revenue, with the strong package introduced in the FY2014/15 budget yielding about 1¼ percent of GDP compared to an original target of ½ percent. However, the high stock of domestic arrears—notably the proliferation of court awards—remains a concern, despite the authorities’ efforts to reduce them”.
“Discussions focused on policies to be conducted over the rest of the fiscal year. The mission welcomed the authorities’ determination to adapt the policy mix to the ongoing challenges, including those related to the political cycle, by closely coordinating fiscal and monetary actions. Supported by an adequate stock of international reserves, monetary policy will remain vigilant of price developments and help moderate inflation expectations now that the shilling has largely stabilized. On the fiscal front, the authorities are encouraged to continue to build on the strong revenue performance of last year by improving tax collections even during the election period. On the expenditure side, the government has appropriately identified a series of spending cuts that should reduce the need for domestic borrowing, creating space for private sector credit and growth recovery”.
“On the structural front, important steps have been taken. The mission welcomes the approval of the Public Financial Management Act and the actions taken to clean the payroll and improve the payments system. Regulating the new law and finalizing the Charter of Fiscal Responsibility are important steps to further help improve the budget process and efficiency of expenditure. In addition to these improvements, the mission has encouraged the authorities to intensify ongoing efforts to fight corruption, which continues to affect the business climate. Improving transparency and accountability remains critical”.
“Over the medium term, core inflation is set to decline toward the 5 percent target and growth is expected to gradually return to its potential of about 6–6½ percent. While the authorities will continue their plans to scale up public investment, they intend to re-profile projects to ensure that public debt remains at low risk of distress. The completion of these projects should reduce infrastructure bottlenecks and support growth”.
“The mission met with Mr. Keith Muhakanizi, Permanent Secretary/Secretary of Treasury of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development; Dr. Louis Kasekende, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Uganda; and other senior government officials, and representatives from the business, civil society and international communities. The mission thanks all counterparts for their collaboration”.
“IMF Executive Board consideration of the fifth review of the PSI-supported program is expected by end-November 2015.”
Zwane’s Appointment as Mining Minister is more Zuma Feudalism – Bokamoso by Mmusi Maimane
Press Release: Africa Faces the Challenge of Sustaining Growth amid Weak Global Conditions (05.10.2015)
WASHINGTON, October 5, 2015— Sub-Saharan Africa countries are continuing to grow, albeit at a slower pace, due to a more challenging economic environment. Growth will slow in 2015 to 3.7 percent from 4.6 percent in 2014, reaching the lowest growth rate since 2009, according to new World Bank projections.
These latest figures are outlined in the World Bank’s new Africa’s Pulse, the twice-yearly analysis of economic trends and the latest data on the continent. The 2015 forecast remains below the robust 6.5 percent growth in GDP which the region sustained in 2003-2008, and drags below the 4.5 percent growth following the global financial crisis in 2009-2014. Overall, growth in the region is projected to pick up to 4.4 percent in 2016, and further strengthen to 4.8 percent in 2017.
Sharp drops in the price of oil and other commodities have brought on the recent weakness in growth. Other external factors such as China’s economic slowdown and tightening global financial conditions weigh on Africa’s economic performance, according to Africa’s Pulse. Compounding these factors, bottlenecks in supplying electricity in many African countries hampered economic growth in 2015.
“The end of the commodity super-cycle poses an opportunity for African countries to reinvigorate their reform efforts and thereby transform their economies and diversify sources of growth. Implementing the right policies to boost agricultural productivity, and reduce electricity costs while expanding access, will improve competitiveness and support the growth of light manufacturing,” says Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa.
According to Africa’s Pulse, several countries are continuing to post robust growth. Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Tanzania are expected to sustain growth at around 7 percent or more per year in 2015-17, spurred by investments in energy and transport, consumer spending and investment in the natural resources sector.
Gains in Poverty Reduction
Africa’s Pulse found that progress in reducing income poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa has been occurring faster than previously thought. According to World Bank estimates poverty in Africa declined from 56 percent in 1990 to 43 percent in 2012. At the same time, Africa’s population saw progress in all dimensions of well-being, particularly in health (maternal mortality, under-5 mortality) and primary school enrollment, where the gender gap shrank.
Yet African countries continue to face a stubbornly high birth rate, which has limited the impact of the past two decades of sustained economic growth on reducing the overall number of poor. Countries still lag behind those in other regions in making progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). For example, Africa will not meet the MDG of halving the share of population living in poverty between 1990 and 2015.
Weaker Commodity Prices
Sub-Saharan Africa’s rich natural resources have made it a net exporter of fuel, minerals and metals, and agricultural commodities. These commodities account for nearly three-fourths of the region’s goods exports. Robust supplies and lower global demand have accounted for the decline of commodity prices across the board. For instance, the drop in the prices of natural gas, iron ore, and coffee exceeded 25 percent since June 2014, according to the report.
Africa’s Pulse notes that overall decline in growth in the region is nuanced and the factors hampering growth vary among countries. In the region’s commodity exporters—especially oil-producers such as Angola, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria, as well as producers of minerals and metals such as Botswana and Mauritania, the drop in prices is negatively affecting growth. In Ghana, South Africa, and Zambia, domestic factors such as electricity supply constraints are further stemming growth. In Burundi and South Sudan threats from political instability and social tensions are taking an economic and social toll.
Fiscal deficits across the region are now larger than they were at the onset of the global financial crisis, the report finds. Rising wage bills and lower revenues, especially among oil-producers, led to a widening of fiscal deficits. In some countries, the deficit was driven by large infrastructure expenditures. Reflecting the widening fiscal deficits in the region, government debt continued to rise in many countries. While debt-to-GDP ratios appear to be manageable in most countries, a few countries are seeing a worrisome jump in this ratio.
“The dramatic, ongoing drop in commodity prices has put pressure on rising fiscal deficits, adding to the challenge in countries with depleted policy buffers,” says Punam Chuhan-Pole, Acting Chief Economist, World Bank Africa and the report’s author. “To withstand new shocks, governments in the region should improve the efficiency of public expenditures, such as prioritizing key investments, and strengthen tax administration to create fiscal space in their budgets.”
Moving Forward
Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa will be repeatedly tested as new shocks occur in the global economic environment, underscoring the need for Governments to embark on structural reforms to alleviate domestic impediments to growth, the report notes. Investments in new energy capacity, attention to drought and its effects on hydropower, reform of state-owned distribution companies, and renewed focus on encouraging private investment will help build resiliency in the power sector. Governments can boost revenues through taxes and improved tax compliance. Complementing these efforts, governments can improve the efficiency of public expenditures to create fiscal space in their budget.














