NESTOR BASEMERA, PhD: Power, Not Pity: Rewriting Uganda’s Economic Deal for Women

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an opinion article by Dr. Nestor Basemera ahead of Uganda’s grassroots voting on July 28, 2026, framing women’s participation in the Women’s Councils and Local Council I elections as a sign of growing civic and economic agency. Basemera argues that local political mobilization should be matched by deeper economic reforms, rather than being treated mainly as a symbolic equality milestone.

In the commentary, Basemera says Uganda’s 1995 Constitution provides for gender equality and affirmative action, but contends that women’s lived economic conditions remain far behind those commitments. He cites government programmes such as the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme, Emyooga and the Parish Development Model as important but limited, saying they largely provide credit, training and livelihood support without addressing larger barriers around assets, education and skills.

The article cites a UNDP 2024 report as estimating that closing Africa’s gender gap could significantly raise GDP per capita and add trillions of dollars to the continent’s economy over a decade. It also cites UBOS 2024 figures on women’s agricultural labour contribution and limited land ownership, alongside claims about education and technical training gaps among women.

Basemera’s central argument is that women’s empowerment should be funded and designed as a national economic priority, not as a small-scale welfare or microfinance project. While the piece is an opinion column rather than a news report, it highlights a broader policy debate in Uganda: whether local elections and existing poverty-reduction programmes can translate women’s political participation into durable economic power.