In March 2023, government of Uganda through the Directorate of Citizen and Immigration Control (DCIC) unveiled polycarbonate electronic passports as a replacement of previous paper-based e-passportswith a focus of increasing travel efficiency and security. The polycarbonate electronic passports will be of higher quality and durability, as well as better data protection and lower risk of damage.
In May 2022, the Local Climate Adaptive Living Local Facility was launched in Uganda. Four districts were piloted namely, Kasese, Nwoya, Nebbi and Zombo. The facility is currently being implemented in 32 countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The facility is aimed at integrating climate change adaptation in development plans and budgets at Local Government level and channeling of increased climate financing for climate smart investments.
To access the detailed report on the Local Facility, follow the link:
In January 2023, UNEB released the 2022 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). Out of the 832,654 students who were registered, 811,810 students sat for the examinations. Of these, 583,768 (70.1%) from 11,306 centres were Universal Primary Education (UPE) beneficiaries. A total of 114,617 passed in first grade, 357,799 passed in grade two,146,583 in third grade, and 95,702 passed in fourth grade. According to UNEB statistics, 97,109 candidates were not graded.
Over the past three years, north-eastern Uganda (Karomoja, Teso and Lango) has faced several public health challenges due to drought, with Moroto, Kaabong and Karenga districts being the most affected. These challenges include food insecurity leading to malnutrition and disease outbreak. A survey conducted in April 2022 revealed that 6% of households in Karamoja were severely food insecure, while 52% were moderately food insecure.
In January 2023, Ministry of Health declared the end of the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in Uganda. The declaration followed conclusion of two incubation cycles of 42 days since the discharge of the last confirmed case on 30th November 2022. A total of 164 cases were registered (142 confirmed and 22 probable) with 55 confirmed deaths and 87 recovered patients. Overall, the case-fatality ratio was 47%.
Co-generation involves the use of a heat engine or power system to simultaneously generate electricity and useful heat. It is procurement of two forms of energy from one fuel source. It is one of the leading technological advancements for achieving fuel efficiency. Under the right circumstances, power generation systems can achieve 50%-200% gains in efficiency or more over their current setup.
After a 5 year joint venture with the One Petroleum Limited (OPL) consortium, Uganda National Oil Company took over sole management of the Jinja fuel depot. The consortium comprised of One Petroleum Limited, One Petroleum Uganda Limited, and Mbaraki Bulk Terminal Limited.
The terminal was established in the 1970s and holds up to 30 million litres of petroleum products including petrol, jet fuel, kerosene and gas. It will be supported by Kampala Storage Terminal which is almost complete and the proposed Mpigi facility slated to have a holding capacity of 300 million litres.
Government continues to prioritize infrastructure development as an enabler of Uganda’s industrialization agenda by providing productive infrastructure for job and wealth creation. The Parish Development Model under the Infrastructure and Economic Services pillar places emphasis provision of necessary infrastructure to spur economic activities at the parish.
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).
