Sida's work in Uganda
Sida's work in Uganda aims to strengthen respect for human rights, improve the reception of refugees, contribute to entrepreneurship and job creation, increase resilience to climate crises and strengthen people's access to health and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). A new development cooperation strategy was adopted in January 2025 and runs until 2029.
Why do Sida work in Uganda?
Poverty is increasing
The number of people living in poverty is rising. Inflation, high unemployment and sharp increases in food and fuel prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are hitting Uganda’s population hard. More and more people are unable to feed themselves. People’s freedom and influence over their lives and society has diminished, as has access to education and health care.
Democracy and human rights under pressure
Democratic development is being set back. Human rights defenders and the media are subject to threats and harassment. Discrimination against LGBTI people has worsened as a result of one of the world’s harshest laws where people who have same-sex sex face the death penalty. Civil society organisations find it more difficult to work for change. Around 50 organisations, as well as the UN Human Rights Office, have been forced to close their offices in Uganda.
Displaced people particularly vulnerable
Uganda is the country in Africa that hosts the largest number of displaced people. Most have fled from DR Congo and South Sudan. People who are displaced are particularly vulnerable. 80 per cent of displaced people are women and they are at increased risk of gender-based violence.
Examples of what Sida contributes to
Supporting civil society
Sida supports civil society organisations working to strengthen respect for human rights. Civil society in Uganda is vibrant, active and vocal, but is increasingly silenced by increased government restrictions and censorship.
Increasing access to renewable energy
42 per cent of Uganda’s population has access to electricity.6 This negatively affects people, small businesses and the economy. Sida’s support for the development of solar energy has resulted in more people having access to electricity. And more people have access to environmentally friendly stoves and biogas plants.
Increased access to healthcare
Sida helps ensure that the most vulnerable people, including people forced to flee or in severe poverty, have access to public services. For example, the quality and availability of maternity care, child and adolescent health care, and intensive care for premature babies have increased. Health care facilities have been provided with functioning water, sewage and waste management, which has reduced the risk of infections.
Development cooperation in Uganda
Sida supports civil society and organisations that strengthens respect for human rights, democracy, gender equality, climate and the environment. An important part of development cooperation is to support sustainable enterprise, free and fair trade and to help people living in poverty to work under decent conditions.
Uganda has a weak democracy and a lack of respect for human rights. Society is characterised by a patriarchal structure that limits women’s ability to control their lives. 95 per cent of all girls and women have been subjected to sexual violence by either a partner or other men after the age of 15. Child marriage and teenage pregnancies are widespread throughout the country. People have poor access to services such as health care and education.
Sida supports civil society organisations that work for democratic development, strengthened respect for human rights, increased gender equality and a legal system that treats all people equally before the law. Here is an example of programmes that Sida supports:
Sida supports the UN Population Fund, UNFPA and UN Women in preventing gender-based violence, with a focus on particularly vulnerable groups and geographical areas.
Up to 90 per cent of the population in Uganda is employed in the informal sector, often with low pay and poor working conditions. The number of Ugandans who are unemployed or underemployed is very high.
Many people living in poverty depend on forestry, fishing and especially agriculture for their livelihoods. The country’s natural resources and biodiversity are under severe pressure due to a rapidly growing population and the effects of climate change. Recurrent and irregular flooding makes it difficult for farmers.
Sida supports organisations that contribute to sustainable economic growth that benefits vulnerable people, such as women’s ownership and influence in the agricultural sector. Sida supports sustainable entrepreneurship and free and fair trade.
People living in poverty can work with decent conditions and have increased access to clean and cheap energy, through Sida. Here are some examples of programmes and projects that Sida supports:
Women do much of the agricultural work but have less access to land and power over their money. Through the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Sida supports women’s ownership and strengthens their ability to participate in decision-making. Making agriculture more resilient to climate change is also included. Among other things, this has led to a significant increase in the productivity of key crops such as beans, cassava and barley, increasing household incomes.
Uganda is part of the Beyond the Grid for Africa (BGFA) programme, which increases access to cheap renewable electricity to people off the grid.
BGFA accelerates market access and market development in renewable energy. By supporting private investment, Sida helps ensure that people living in poverty have access to cheap and renewable energy services.
UNCDF is empowering rural Ugandans and people living in displacement through the “Connect Rural Uganda” programme. Over 1.5 million people have improved their digital skills through the programme and can use services such as mobile payments, digital recruitment and inventory management, and online banking. For example, 435,000 farmers, small business owners and other customers have been able to register for mobile payments.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues are controversial in Uganda. Teenage pregnancies and child marriages are common. Stereotypical gender norms and lack of knowledge and access to care threaten people’s health and right to control their own lives. The vulnerability of LGBTI people has increased as the country has one of the toughest laws in the world, where people who have same-sex sex risk the death penalty.
Sida cooperates with organisations that strengthen the country’s health sector for more equal access to care. Women and girls have gained greater access to, for example, maternity and youth care. Sida strengthens people’s rights with a particular focus on young people and LGBTI people and increases their access to SRHR services.
Here are some examples of programmes and projects that Sida supports:
Sida supports the UN Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) country programme in Uganda. A large proportion of the people who have been forced to flee live in the West Nile district in north-west Uganda. Child mortality is particularly high here. In its work on child and maternal health, UNICEF is strengthening the district’s health sector and helping to meet the increased need for health and care services.
About the child and maternal health programme on UNICEF Uganda’s website
A large majority of Uganda’s population and the many people that is displaced in the country lack access to social protection systems. Sida provides support for child and maternal health, which is particularly important. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) implements this work together with the World Food Programme (WFP).
About the Child and Maternal Health Programme on the UNICEF Uganda website
Restrictions during the pandemic led to an increase in gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies and child marriages. Access to SRHR services has deteriorated, especially for young people and LGBTI people, and an increasingly vocal public opinion opposes sex education in schools and wants to ban abortions.
To counteract this development, Sida supports long-term advocacy work through the organisation CEHURD, which improves cooperation between different regional organisations that promote these issues.
Vulnerable to natural disasters and climate crises, Uganda hosts the highest number of displaced people in Africa, more than half of whom are children. The vast majority come from South Sudan and DR Congo. The crisis in Uganda is one of the most underfunded in the world, and there is a huge shortfall in funding to help people in need.
Sida works with international humanitarian and civil society organisations and prioritises the people most in need of support.
Sida’s humanitarian support in Uganda saves lives and alleviates suffering.
Learn more about Sida’s analysis of the humanitarian crisis, Sida’s support and how much money is distributed to each organisation in Sida’s crisis analysis.
Sida’s development cooperation in Uganda is governed by different strategies. There is a bilateral strategy for the country, and there are also regional and thematic strategies.
Sida’s development offer clarifies the full scope of Sida’s work in Uganda. It guides how Sida selects projects and investments.
Updated: July 7, 2025