KAMPALA, Uganda (UGNEWSLINE) –The Vice President Jessica Alupo has today launched the Uganda Climate Investment Platform to coordinate national resource mobilization and financing for climate change mitigation across all sectors.
The launch comes at a critical time when Uganda, like many nations, is feeling the severe impacts of climate change- prolonged droughts, devastating floods, and threats to her agriculture and wetlands.
The vice president highlighted that the government of Uganda, under the able leadership of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is fully committed to the Paris Agreement and its Nationally Determined Contributions.
“We have prioritized green growth in our National Development Plan IV, with focus on climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, sustainable wetlands and forestry management, and green industrialization,” Alupo said.
She however noted that government alone cannot finance this transition revealing that Uganda needs an estimated USD 28 billion to implement our climate commitments.
“This is why this Platform is so important. The Uganda Climate Investment Platform will help bridge this gap. Working with and through our existing financial institutions and partners, it will support the preparation of bankable climate projects, help connect them with investors, and enable de-risking, so that climate action is profitable and sustainable for our people”, Alupo said.
The platform was launched under the theme “Financing Uganda’s Green Future: From Commitment to Impact” which theme speaks to the foregoing emphasizing the need for value for the resources we will mobilise, as well as the value of collective responsibility.
The vice president remarked that Uganda is facing more floods, long droughts, and unpredictable rains than ever before adding that the poorest communities are suffering the most, and government support is not enough.
She further said that because Uganda depends on farming and natural resources to survive, these climate problems continue to slow down the country’s progress towards Vision 2040.
“Government considers this to be a serious problem and has developed plans to fight climate change while still developing the country and ending poverty,” she said.
She listed the Nationally Determined Contributions, the Climate Finance Strategy, National Development Plan IV, and the Tenfold Growth Strategy as some of the plans stressing that all of them have one goal: to make Uganda stronger against climate change and develop sustainably.
Alupo further explained that the newly launched Uganda Climate Investment Platform is an enabling mechanism that will support coordinated resource mobilisation at country level.
The platform is a Government-led, multi-stakeholder mechanism designed to help close the gap between policy ambition and bankable investment.
It will support the Government in coordinating efforts across government, development partners, and the private sector, building on our existing institutions and finance architecture rather than replacing them.
The Platform will also support the building of bankable pipelines of climate-resilient projects in agro-industrial development, tourism, science, technology, ICT, and innovation; and help our institutions mobilise both public and private capital—including blended finance, green bonds, carbon markets, and other innovative instruments.
She called upon all stakeholders to strengthen partnership, with clear roles and shared accountability; Prioritise projects that deliver both climate resilience and inclusive economic growth, especially for women, youth, and rural communities; Ensure transparency, strong governance, and measurable impact; and Seize the opportunities of the green and blue economies so that Uganda becomes a regional hub for climate investment and innovation.
Alupo thanked president Museveni for his steadfast leadership on climate and development matters. On behalf of the government she thanked development partners, for the financial and technical support extended to Uganda.
The Minister for Water and Environment Gen. Kahinda Otafire reiterated the Government’s commitment to create an enabling environment for climate investment.
“We will continue to strengthen our policy and regulatory frameworks, improve project preparation capacity, and deepen collaboration with our development partners and the private sector”, Otafire said…..
