U.S. Mission Supports Development Innovations in Uganda

The U.S. Mission to Uganda is proud to announce its support to three organizations working in Uganda whose innovative ideas promise to improve the lives of thousands of Ugandans.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded $1.25 million to Instiglio, in partnership with Village Enterprise, for a program designed to help lift participating Ugandan and Kenyan households out of extreme poverty.  Instiglio is implementing the program as a development impact bond, in which funders (including USAID, the UK Department for International Development, and others) pay a predetermined rate for verified outcomes.  The development impact bond is the first such bond in the world centered on economic development.  Learn more about this work in this recent article.

USAID also awarded $5 million to the One Acre Fund to deliver agricultural services to smallholder farmers in Uganda and Malawi.  These services include market-rate financing for farm inputs, seed and fertilizer distribution, crop insurance, and training.  With USAID’s support, the One Acre Fund will serve over 50,000 new clients, improve farmers’ profitability by 40 percent, and make investments in organizational infrastructure that will enable sustainable long-term growth.

Finally, USAID awarded $1.2 million to BURN Manufacturing, which produces low-cost cook stoves that reduce fuel consumption by almost 50 percent and have scored the highest possible rating for cleanliness in cook stoves.  USAID is supporting BURN’s expansion in Uganda, as well as an impact assessment, to better understand the health and economic benefits of its products.

USAID is supporting these ventures through its Development Innovation Ventures program, an open innovation fund that sources, tests, and accelerates breakthrough ideas that address global development challenges around the world.

For more information, contact:

Nanyonga Dorothy, Information Assistant, U.S. Mission Uganda

Tel: +256 414 306 410 Cell: +256 772 138194, +256 784 846 334 Email:  NanyongaDX@state.gov