Country Factsheet
Uganda
This factsheet provides an overview of economic inclusion programs in Uganda. Economic inclusion programs are a bundle of coordinated, multidimensional interventions that support individuals, households, and communities in raising their incomes and building their assets. The data used for this factsheet comes from the Partnership for Economic Inclusion’s Landscape Survey 2023.
Country Facts
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Population
45.85 million
Income Group
Low income
FCV country (WB FY24 list)
No
Poverty Headcount (share of population below the poverty line)
National Poverty Line
20.30%
Multidimensional Poverty Index
57.17%
$2.15/day (2017 PPP)
42.20%
Programs
Number of economic inclusion programs
18Institutional delivery (lead agency)
- Nongovernment-led
- Government-led
Geographic area
- Rural only
- Urban/peri
- Mix (urban & rural)
Participants
Number of participants
300,119Number of people benefiting
1.4 millionParticipants served by government-led programs (%)
42.43%Main Program Objectives
Wage employment
Self-employment
Income diversification
Productivity
Food security
Market access
Women's empowerment
Social inclusion
Social cohesion
Financial inclusion
Social services
Climate resilience
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
Participant Profile
Targeted Poverty Segments
Poor
Extreme poor
Ultra-poor
Those above the poverty line
Doesn't target by poverty level
Targeted Population Groups
Women
Children
Youth
Older people
Persons with disabilities
Displacement-affected
Climate-affected
Marginalized
Conflict-affected
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
CORE PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Transfer
Business capital
Wage employment facilitation
Skills training
Coaching
Financial services facilitation
Market links
Climate resilience support
ECONOMIC INCLUSION PROGRAMS SURVEYED
| Program Name | Year program began | Lead Agencies | Program Description | No. of Current Participants | % Female Participants | Poverty Targeting | Digital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Model for Sustainable Peace/Security and Development | 1999 | Uganda Peace Foundation | The program addresses various sectors, including peace, security, education, finance, banking, business, industry, infrastructure, public works, public health, sanitation, agriculture, animal rearing, climate change, environment, and energy transition, to promote sustainable peace and security. | 650 | 76-99% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Building Self-Reliance and Resilience in West Nile | 2022 | Danish Refugee Council | The program supports extremely poor refugees and host community households in Uganda's West Nile region to achieve sustainable livelihoods through a series of economic and social inclusion interventions. | 800 | All (100% of participants are female) | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems (DREAMS) for Refugees | 2022 | Village Enterprise | DREAMS combines poverty graduation and market systems development to reach the most vulnerable refugees, enabling them to significantly improve their income and well-being. | 3,600 | 76-99% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Early Childhood and Graduation Programing in Humanitarian Settings - Ultra Poor Graduation (UPG) | 2022 | BRAC Uganda | The project targets ultra-poor households among those who enrolled in Humanitarian Play Labs and provides them with support to build sustainable early childhood development and livelihoods. | 700 | 76-99% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises Project | 2023 | Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development; and Private Sector Foundation | The project aims to increase access to entrepreneurial services that enable female entrepreneurs to grow their enterprises in targeted locations, including host and refugee communities. | Targets poor broadly | Yes | ||
| Graduating to Resilience Activity | 2017 | AVSI Foundation | The program supports refugees and host communities in graduating from conditions of food insecurity and fragile livelihoods to self-reliance and resilience. | 7,051 | 51-75% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Inclusive Market-based Development for Smallholder Farmers in Northern Uganda | 2020 | CARE International Uganda | The program aims to increase food security, improve maternal and child nutrition and enhance household income | 68,250 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| National Uganda Social Action Fund Program | 2015 | Office of the Prime Ministry | The program aims to improve livelihoods and incomes in Northern Uganda by providing a comprehensive skills development training, livelihood grants, and mentoring support to targeted households. | 100,100 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | No |
| Prevention of Street Children Graduation (PSGP) Project | 2020 | Agency for Accelerated Regional Development (AFARD) | The project supports households through the graduation approach, reducing poverty and strengthening resilience by increasing and diversifying income, while contributing to sustainable natural resource management through child protection, livelihoods, and sustainable natural resource management. | 450 | 76-99% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Sustainable Market-Inclusive Livelihood Pathways to Self-reliance | 2022 | AVSI Foundation | The program aims to build the resilience of extremely poor refugee and host community households in Kyaka II and Kyangwali Refugee Settlements through a graduation model integrated with market system development. | 7,042 | None (only male participants) | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project | 2016 | Office of the Prime Minister | The project aims to address unmet social, economic, and environmental needs in refugee-hosting communities through multi -sectoral investments. | 26,703 | 51-75% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project | 2022 | Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries | The project aims to encourage smallholder farmers to adopt climate-smart agriculture technologies and sustainable land management practices by offering incentives linked to specific value chains, as well as additional support for value addition, processing, and market access. | Targets poor broadly | Yes | ||
| Village Enterprise Core Uganda | 1988 | Village Enterprise | This is a community-based and locally led program that supports those living in extreme poverty with cash transfers, training, and mentoring to create income-generating sustainable businesses and savings groups. | 12,230 | 76-99% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Young Africa Works in Uganda: Markets for Youth Program | 2020 | GOAL Global | The program aims to enable rural young people, including women, refugees, and persons with disabilities, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2025 in five sub-regions. | 24,800 | 51-75% of participants | Does not target by poverty level | Yes |
| Youth Engine Project | 2021 | GOAL Uganda | The project aims to increase the number of rural young women and men engaged in income-generating activities within the cassava and soya value chains in Northern Uganda. | 900 | 76-99% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Poverty Alleviation and Removal of Kibale Snares (PARKS) Project | 2021 | Village Enterprise | The project aims to protect East African chimpanzees by reducing hunting in the National Park by equipping households living in extreme poverty with resources to launch businesses, thereby alleviating poverty and promoting conservation. | 1,240 | 76-99% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
Only programs that have given their consent to share their program data are included in this table
The Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) is a global platform that unites non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, research institutions, funding partners, and the World Bank to support government adoption and scale up of economic inclusion programs that empower vulnerable people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.
| DNA: Does Not Apply; FY: Fiscal Year; FCV: Fragility, Conflict, and Violence; MPI: Multidimensional Poverty Index; NPL: National Poverty Line; N/A: Not available; WB: World Bank |