United States Launches Project to Support Regional Development in Uganda | November 17, 2022

Press Release

United States Launches Project to Support Regional Development in Uganda

Kampala, November 17, 2022 – The United States Mission in Uganda, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is pleased to announce the launch of the Local Priorities and Partnership Activity (LPPA), our three-year initiative to strengthen Uganda’s regional platforms to pursue sound, evidence-based development initiatives informed by local priorities.  Governance Systems International, a Ugandan organization and first-time recipient of U.S. government funding, will implement the $2 million (UGX 7.5 billion) activity on behalf of USAID.

“Localization has been and is increasingly becoming an important priority for USAID in our global work,” said USAID’s Mission Director in Uganda Richard Nelson, at the project’s launch event in Kampala.  “We are strongly committed to forging local partnerships and growing the capacity of local institutions and individuals.  Finding, working with, and helping support those who possess the capability, connectedness, and credibility to drive change in their own countries and communities is simply smart programming.”

LPPA will support and build the capacity of three Ugandan Regional Platforms – the Northern Uganda Regional Development Forum, the Southwestern Regional Development Forum, and the Karamoja Regional Development Initiative.  USAID previously supported the regional platforms to register as legal entities and develop regional development strategies and investment plans.  By supporting the regional platforms’ organizational, leadership, technical and administrative abilities, LPPA will enable them to pursue evidence-based development initiatives at scale which are informed by local priorities.  LPPA will staff the regional secretariats, set up structures, and support their engagement with academia and the private sector.  With embedded business development advisors, USAID’s support will enable the platforms to become financially self-sustaining entities capable of leveraging private investment in the regions.

This activity aligns with USAID/Uganda’s commitment to forge local partnerships and grow the capacity of local institutions and individuals. LPPA contributes to USAID’s broader focus on localization by working with those who possess the capability, connectedness, and credibility to drive change in their own communities.

LPPA builds on USAID’s previous support for regional platforms under several activities, including the Governance, Accountability, Participation and Performance Program (GAPP), the Uganda Learning Activity (ULA), USAID Promoting Peace and Promoting Prosperity (EKISIL), the Karamoja Resilience Support Unit (KRSU), and the USAID Regional Health Integration to Enhance Services in Southwest Uganda (RHITES-SW).

For additional information, please contact:

Peter Eriki
U.S. Mission Uganda, Public Diplomacy Section
Tel: +256-414-250-314 x6418
Email: KampalaPress@state.gov