Overview:
Uganda and the World Bank have agreed to speed up implementation of a US$4.6 billion development portfolio covering 18 operations, amid concerns that weak project preparation, procurement and land acquisition are holding back delivery.
The commitment was made at the Uganda–World Bank Country Portfolio Performance Review at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala. Organisers said the meeting was convened to assess progress, identify delivery bottlenecks and agree on time-bound actions for the portfolio.
Ramathan Ggoobi, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, said the Government was carrying out a deeper assessment to separate projects delayed by lack of funding from those held back by management problems, including procurement, designs, land acquisition, counterpart funding, approvals and contract management.
"We are going to get quantified answers that separate the fiscal constraint from the management constraint," he said.
Ggoobi said a major cause of delays was committing to projects before they were ready for implementation. He said some projects begin physical works only in their third year, leaving little time to complete planned activities and increasing the likelihood of extensions, incomplete works and additional costs to the Government.
He said the Government had tightened project gatekeeping so that projects meet Public Investment Management System requirements before negotiations begin. Under the changes, he said, implementation-readiness conditions must be met before financing agreements are signed. These include approved procurement plans, completed environmental and social safeguards, and acquisition of the necessary rights of way.
Ggoobi also cited electronic government procurement as a reform intended to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability. He said all Programme-for-Results operations must use the system and that the Government would continue engaging the World Bank to bring other projects on board.
With nine projects due to close in 2027 and 2028, Ggoobi called for faster implementation and timely decisions on projects that cannot be completed in the remaining period. He said such projects should be considered for restructuring, scaling down or cancellation, with extensions reserved for essential ongoing contractual obligations.
He said the review should produce an improvement plan for every project, setting out the required action, the responsible institution, the financing implications and the implementation timeline. Projects that persistently underperform would be considered for restructuring or termination, he said.
Qimiao Fan, the World Bank's Division Director for Uganda, Kenya, Somalia and Rwanda, said the Bank had added almost US$2 billion in new financing commitments to Uganda over the past two years.
He said Uganda's portfolio was among the largest International Development Association (IDA) portfolios in Africa and the second largest in his unit. According to Fan, about US$3.1 billion, equivalent to roughly 5% of Uganda's gross domestic product, is yet to be disbursed.
Fan said the undisbursed balance was an opportunity to accelerate development, adding that the financing is aligned with Uganda's Tenfold Growth Strategy, the National Development Plan and the World Bank's Country Partnership Framework for FY2026–FY2035. He said the framework focuses on governance, human capital, connectivity, private-sector productivity and job creation.
Tonderai Fadzai Mukonoweshuro, a Senior Operations Officer at the World Bank, said six operations approved in the 2025/26 financial year had added nearly US$2 billion to the portfolio but had barely started disbursing.
Uganda and the World Bank have agreed to speed up implementation of a US$4.6 billion development portfolio covering 18 operations, amid concerns that weak project preparation, procurement and land acquisition are holding back delivery.
The commitment was made at the Uganda–World Bank Country Portfolio Performance Review at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala. Organisers said the meeting was convened to assess progress, identify delivery bottlenecks and agree on time-bound actions for the portfolio.
Ramathan Ggoobi, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, said the Government was carrying out a deeper assessment to separate projects delayed by lack of funding from those held back by management problems, including procurement, designs, land acquisition, counterpart funding, approvals and contract management.
“We are going to get quantified answers that separate the fiscal constraint from the management constraint,” he said.
Ggoobi said a major cause of delays was committing to projects before they were ready for implementation. He said some projects begin physical works only in their third year, leaving little time to complete planned activities and increasing the likelihood of extensions, incomplete works and additional costs to the Government.
He said the Government had tightened project gatekeeping so that projects meet Public Investment Management System requirements before negotiations begin. Under the changes, he said, implementation-readiness conditions must be met before financing agreements are signed. These include approved procurement plans, completed environmental and social safeguards, and acquisition of the necessary rights of way.
Ggoobi also cited electronic government procurement as a reform intended to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability. He said all Programme-for-Results operations must use the system and that the Government would continue engaging the World Bank to bring other projects on board.
With nine projects due to close in 2027 and 2028, Ggoobi called for faster implementation and timely decisions on projects that cannot be completed in the remaining period. He said such projects should be considered for restructuring, scaling down or cancellation, with extensions reserved for essential ongoing contractual obligations.
He said the review should produce an improvement plan for every project, setting out the required action, the responsible institution, the financing implications and the implementation timeline. Projects that persistently underperform would be considered for restructuring or termination, he said.
Qimiao Fan, the World Bank’s Division Director for Uganda, Kenya, Somalia and Rwanda, said the Bank had added almost US$2 billion in new financing commitments to Uganda over the past two years.
He said Uganda’s portfolio was among the largest International Development Association (IDA) portfolios in Africa and the second largest in his unit. According to Fan, about US$3.1 billion, equivalent to roughly 5% of Uganda’s gross domestic product, is yet to be disbursed.
Fan said the undisbursed balance was an opportunity to accelerate development, adding that the financing is aligned with Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy, the National Development Plan and the World Bank’s Country Partnership Framework for FY2026–FY2035. He said the framework focuses on governance, human capital, connectivity, private-sector productivity and job creation.
Tonderai Fadzai Mukonoweshuro, a Senior Operations Officer at the World Bank, said six operations approved in the 2025/26 financial year had added nearly US$2 billion to the portfolio but had barely started disbursing.