Strengthening the Adaptive Capacity and Resilience of Communities in Uganda’s Watersheds

The Government of the Republic of Uganda received financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the “Strengthening the Adaptive Capacity and Resilience of Communities in Uganda’s Watersheds” project. The government intends to use some of this financing to pay for a consulting firm to produce GEF and AfDB Board Project documents for the project.

This AfDB-GEF project aligns well with the GEF-7 LDCF programming strategy, as well as with Uganda’s NAPA and National Development Plan. The project aimed to strengthen the resilience of around 500,000 vulnerable people to the impacts of climate change through the transfer of adaptation technologies (strategic objective 1) and climate mainstreaming (strategic objective 2). The project supports integrated adaptation planning at the watershed level and strengthens the resilience of critical rural infrastructure, including riverbanks and wetlands. This will support sustainable agriculture and alternative livelihoods, as well as enhancing access to reliable climate and weather information for the integration of climate change into development programmes.

The LDCF project, valued at around 9 million US dollars, is expected to mobilise at least 80 million US dollars of AfDB investment to strengthen Uganda’s agricultural sector. The LDCF has provided complementary and catalytic support to enhance the effectiveness of AfDB investment, utilising its scale to make the agricultural value chain and watersheds resilient to climate change. The project has a distinct gender focus and will engage the private sector in strengthening market linkages for agriculture and alternative livelihoods in the region. Strong buy-in was expected from the Ugandan government, as well as effective implementation arrangements and integrated project design. The Ugandan government has prioritised the project and revised it to align with the GEF-7 strategy and national priorities, following consultations with the GEF Secretariat and other stakeholders.

Following a request from the Government of Uganda, the AfDB is implementing two connected projects:

1. Agricultural Value Chain Development Programme (AVCP) – Project 1 financed with a loan from the African Development Fund (ADF) and the
2. “Strengthening the Adaptive Capacity and Resilience of Communities in Uganda’s watersheds” project financed by the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The Project has been implemented in Bukedea district, within the Awoja catchment downstream of the subcatchments of Sironko, Simu-sisi, Muyembe and Sipi.

The key objective of the assignment is to assist the Ministry of Water and Environment (MoWE) as the relevant implementing agency, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (Operational GEF Focal Point) and the AfDB, in the consultative preparation of the project and the formulation of a set of documents, namely:

(i) a project design report

(ii) a GEF-CEO Endorsement Request document (GEF-7)

(iii) an AfDB Project Preparation Report and

(iv) an AfDB Project Appraisal Report —to be drafted with the support of the Bank team.

The project documents have been developed in line with AfDB’s and GEF’s guidelines and formats, in consultation with national stakeholders.

To achieve this objective, nine major tasks have been defined in the TOR, which include activities, in addition to the specific PPG activities mentioned in the PIF.

1. Project Scope Confirmation
2. Stakeholder and Gender Analysis
3. Definition of scope for mainstreaming Climate Change/Watershed Management into Uganda’s National Water and Sanitation Masterplan
4. Preliminary Feasibility for Watershed Management in Targeted Areas
5. Scoping for Water Resources Monitoring and Information Systems
6. Scoping for creation of a knowledge base and M & E system
7. Environment and Social Safeguards Analysis
8. Project Cost Effectiveness
9. Project Implementation Framework

In addition, a baseline survey was conducted by the Consultant in the four districts: Bukedea, Sironko, Bulambuli and Kapchorwa. The additional services included a biophysical assessment and a socio-economic survey.