Denmark plans to provide Uganda with approximately 361 billion shillings (USD 95 million) through a new five-year bilateral development program.
The majority of the funds, 178.6 billion shillings, will address challenges faced by refugee populations in Uganda and support the country’s role in regional stabilization.
Additionally, 91.2 billion shillings will focus on environmentally friendly, sustainable economic transformation aligned with global climate goals, while 41.8 billion shillings will go toward strengthening democratic values, human rights, and civic space.
Dan Jorgensen, the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, unveiled the program during discussions at the Human Rights and Peace Center at Makerere University.
The primary objective is to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on Ugandan society, particularly considering its status as Africa’s largest refugee host country with over 1.5 million refugees.
The fund aims to support refugees in leading decent lives and responds to Uganda’s call for international assistance in this regard.
The funds will be channeled through local and international NGOs to implement various programs. Jorgensen emphasized the responsibility of developed countries to finance climate change initiatives in the developing world, given their significant contributions to the global environmental crisis.
Brian Isabirye, the Commissioner for Renewable Energy in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, highlighted Uganda’s ambitious goal of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 but acknowledged the challenge of insufficient funding.
He stressed the importance of supporting research for development, noting the lack of adequate financing for researchers and the resulting gaps in evidence-based decision-making for climate change policies.
Part of the Danish government’s fund will support local companies in sustaining and localizing clean energy value chains, especially outside the capital city.
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