CO-FY 25 General Support Grant to Uganda Oxfam in Uganda is currently implementing its Country Strategic Framework (2021-2030) focusing on fighting inequality and injustices. This strategy is being implemented in the context of increased shocks and less momentum behind policy reform in the country, creating challenges for sustaining economic growth and reducing poverty in Uganda. Real GDP per capita grew by only 1.0% per year between 2011 and 2022 in a context of rapid population growth, drought, and other external shocks, a less supportive external environment,and weakening policy and institutional framework (including centralization of policymaking). The pace of poverty reduction has decelerated, as most households rely heavily on agriculture and are vulnerable to climate change and weather shocks (World Bank, 2023).


1. What are the significant new challenges, influences, or opportunities that might have an impact on programs in the coming year?These could be related to economic shifts, shifting civic space, private sector changes, government/state and non-state actors, peace/conflict issues etc. They also include the impact of Covid-19, either directly, as a factor in and of itself, or indirectly, as interacting with all other factors (e.g., changes in governance under Covid-19, shifts in civic space in the context of Covid-19, change in private sector and other actors related to Covid-19, etc.). In other words, thinking about the next year, Covid trends <(>&<)> developments, work we have already adapted or see opportunities to advance with openings created by Covid, what does your context look like – challenges, influences, opportunities?

Safety and Security in the Country.
The security situation in Uganda remains at UN security level 2. However, there have been some incidences of insecurity reported in some parts of the country which are linked to terrorists' activities, in October and November 2023, the western part of the country i.e. Kasese and Bundibugyo Districts continue to report incidences of attacks attributed to ADF suspected to be acts of terrorists aimed at undermining the current governance of the country. The attacks have claimed several lives; however, the security forces have made some arrest in connection to the aboveincidences. Uganda government attributed these attacks to Allied Democratic Force (ADF) that has been operating in DRC for almost three decades; apart from ADF elements associated with Islamic State for Central Africa Province that runs through Somalia, CAR, Mozambique, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Cameroon and are said to have infiltrated and operating in the DRC as part of the Islamic State hoping to create a caliphate in Africa. UPDF in collaboration with Congo forces - FARDC continues with operations in DR Congo against ADF. Furthermore, Uganda continues to work hand in hand with other East African members states to maintain stability and deployments in DRC under the East African Regional Force (EARF) whose ambitious programme is aimed at bringing lasting peace to restive eastern DRC Congo and requires regional countries to contribute specific number of fighters.

The North-eastern part of the country, continues to experience webs of insecurity attributed to cattle rustling among the Karamojong ethic groups and with the neighbouring Communities from Kenya (Turkana and Pokot) and South Sudan (Toposa) this has claimed a number of lives and property and disrupted the normal livelihoods and co-existence of the communities. Since 2021, government through the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Force (UPDF) and other security sister agencies have been conducting disarmament exercise in the region and over 378 illegal guns were recovered and the situation is still not secure.