The African Development Bank produces an annual survey on the performance of electricity regulatory bodies in African countries. The survey culminates in the Electricity Regulatory Index which measures the level of development in the electricity sector regulatory frameworks in Africa against international standards and best practices. The report covered 43 African countries in 2021.
The Index consists of three sub-indices:
The Uganda Road Fund conducts annual Road User Satisfaction Surveys. Through these surveys, road users provide feedback on the quality of road services in the country. The 2021 Road User Satisfaction Survey draws from sample size of 2797 respondents across seven categories of road users i.e. pedestrians, passengers, cyclists, motorcyclists, motorcar drivers, taxi/ bus drivers, and truck drivers on both paved and unpaved roads.
Growing energy security concerns in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are also driving other regions to seek alternative ways to meet their energy needs, including by accelerating clean energy transitions to reduce dependence on imported fuels. This is starting to impact near term investment choices in energy supply, which could herald a faster transition in the current decade. This may increase demand for clean alternatives and accelerate spillover effects, especially in places like Africa that import most of their energy using technologies, vehicles, equipment and appliances.
In January 2022, President Museveni assented to the NSSF Mid Term Access Amendment Bill 2021. The new Law will among others, provide midterm access to the contributors and remove restrictions on access for voluntary savings. The presidential assent followed the passing of the NSSF Midterm Access Bill 2021 by Parliament, on 24th November 2021.
In September 2022, Parliament passed the Uganda Human Organ Donation and Transplant Bill 2022 setting tough penalties for dealing in human organs for commercial purposes. The Bill seeks to establish a legal framework for organ, cell and tissue transplant in Uganda. The Bill also seeks to regulate the conduct of donation and transplant activities in the country. In an attempt to prevent vices associated with human organ donation and transplantation, Parliament approved a life sentence for persons who deal in human organs and tissue for commercial purposes.
Uganda registered excellent performance at the World Schools Sports Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, with a collection of three gold medals in September 2022. The athletics team powered to a three-gold and one bronze haul. Uganda’s other good performances were in chess, basketball, badminton, table tennis and swimming, where Uganda’s basketball 3*3 team beat France (9-3) and India (9-6) respectively. Facilitating the junior team to these championships indicates Government’s strategic move to identify, develop and mentor the young talents.
Government launched the Education Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework in October, 2022. The framework will contribute to the acquisation of knowledge and skills necessary for sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, among others. The framework will also facilitate aligning education with local contexts as envisioned by target 4.7 of SDG 4 (Quality Education).
Uganda received a leadership award at the Mexico-Cancun Symposium in September 2022 for the implementation of the Spotlight Initiative. The initiative seeks to eliminate sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls in Uganda.Uganda through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development excelled with its interventions on ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), domestic violence, and strengthening systems among others.
Uganda recorded a significant drop in mother to child HIV infections from 30% over two decades ago to 2.8%. The decline was attributed to the increase in access to HIV Prevention and Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services including; antenatal care attendance, HIV testing and nevirapine prophylaxis. Eliminating HIV mother-to-child transmission will enable the country to attain an AIDS-free generation.
This policy brief analyzes the resilience of Ugandan households to food security in the event of drought. Findings from the brief indicate that drought undermines food security by reducing both the amount of food consumed and the number of times a household eats in a day. The brief recommends the need to invest in improving household resilience through investing in early warning systems to enhance access to climate related information to the vulnerable groups. This will ensure household preparedness and adaptation. (EPRC, August 2021)
