Uganda, World Bank Push Faster Delivery of Shs18tn Projects

What the report says

Uganda and the World Bank have agreed to accelerate delivery of a large development portfolio valued at about US$4.6 billion, covering 18 operations across the country. The pledge came during a Country Portfolio Performance Review at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, where officials examined why approved financing has been slow to turn into completed works and services.

According to the report, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi said the government is assessing the causes of delay and separating financing constraints from management problems. He cited issues such as slow procurement, weak project design, late land acquisition, missing counterpart funding and contract management gaps. He also said some projects start physical work too late in their implementation cycle, leaving insufficient time to finish on schedule.

To address the bottlenecks, the Ministry of Finance has tightened approval procedures so proposed projects must meet Public Investment Management System standards and readiness conditions before financing agreements are signed. These include environmental and social safeguards, procurement plans and secured rights-of-way. The government is also expanding electronic procurement and may restructure, scale down or cancel projects that cannot be completed in time.

World Bank officials said the portfolio has grown in recent years, with nearly US$2 billion in new commitments added over the past two years and about US$3.1 billion still available for disbursement. The Bank said faster implementation is important because the money is meant to support Uganda’s broader development plans, including governance, infrastructure, human capital and job creation.