The Government of Uganda has launched the new Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy 2017/18 – 2030/31 on November 22, 2017 during the 8th National Development Policy Forum at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala to guide its development. The event was officiated by the Rt. Hon. First Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Moses Ali.

The strategy provides the blue print for Uganda’s transition into a green economy and it is a strategic commitment of government in realization of, Sustainable Development Goals, the Uganda Vision 2040 as well as the National Development Plan II, envisaged to lead Uganda to a sustainable and inclusive development. 

The catalytic sectors for green growth are; sustainable transport that promotes mass transport system for urban areas, planned urbanization/ green cities providing linkages between industrial production in cities to the raw material production in rural areas and sustainable energy with emphasis on greening the energy mix to include solar and wind, efficiency in use and ensuring equity in access to energy. The sectors are deemed to have the greatest green growth potential in terms of boosting GDP, green jobs creation, resource use efficiency, social inclusive and equity and environmental sustainability.

In his key note speech, Peter Okubal, the Country Representative of GGGI Uganda office shared the green growth experiences from Ethiopia and how Uganda can learn from their experience. The UGGDS will be implemented over the next 11 years and is estimated to cost USD 11 billion.

Other interventions are natural resource management with focus on green tourism, water resources management and sustainable use of forests and wetlands, and lastly; sustainable agriculture with concentration on solar powered irrigation, integrated soil fertility management and upgrade of value chains.