Uganda

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Situación y prioridades

Situación de la protección social

The global recession, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Uganda’s economic growth (6.44 percent in 2019; 2.95 percent in 2019/20 and 3.38 percent in 2020/21) despite the efforts at macro level by government to mitigate such shocks. While Government interventions committed to ensure macroeconomic stability, single digit inflation and peace and security to boost employment creation and growth during implementation of the third National Development Plan (NDP III), the performance of the real economy in the first two years of the plan is below the planned targets. Owing to the slow growth, limited fiscal space and public investments will have a bearing on the provision of comprehensive and universal social protection services anchored on sustainable financing.

For Uganda, the mandate for the coordination and delivery of all Social Protection is vested with the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development (MGLSD) through the Directorate of Social Protection.

Since the approval of the National Social Protection Policy (NSPP) in 2015, the Government of Uganda has registered several key milestones at the policy, programmatic and implementation levels in line with the operationalization of the NSPP.

At the policy level, through the leadership of MGLSD, the National Social Protection Strategy and the National Strategy for Coverage Extension to the Informal Sector are under development and expected to be completed by end of 2023. The National Social Protection Strategy was endorsed by the Senior and Policy Management of MGLSD in 2022, paving way for its implementation. The operations of this strategy will be monitored regularly, with a mid-term review and an end of Strategy evaluation to be conducted in 2024 and 2026 respectively.

In addition, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Act was reviewed in 2022 to include provision for self-employed workers to be members of the Fund. As of March 2022, the NSSF had 902,844 active members under the mandatory scheme and 31,146 members under the voluntary scheme. The scheme is working with the line ministries and other partners like the ILO to devise strategies on how to extend the coverage of the Fund to the informal economy.

At the programmatic level, coverage under the Senior Citizens Grant (SCG), Uganda’s flagship social protection programme, increased after approval by Parliament for its national roll out in March 2020 with implementation starting in the financial year 2020/2021.

At the operational level, with aim of ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of the management of pensions in Uganda, the government decentralised the processing and payment of pension to Ministries, Departments Agencies and Local Governments (Finance Report). In addition, online pay roll systems (Integrated Personnel and Payment System IPPS) have been designed. Data availability to inform effective policy formulation and programming is also being addressed through the formulation of several mechanisms including the national single registry and other monitoring frameworks.

Amidst all the different interventions within the social protection agenda, key focus is also on securing sustainable financing as evidenced from the advocacy work and engagements through the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Social Protection.

COVID-19 and other crises

As a response to mitigating the economic effects of COVID-19, the Government of Uganda, in April 2020, permitted the National Social Security Fund to defer national social security fund savings for three months. This was done against a backdrop of giving relief to businesses that had been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) of June 2022 – January 2023 noted the consecutive poor and below average food crop and livestock production in Teso region, coupled with sharp increases in prices of food and essential non-food commodities, caused widespread food insecurity. In the period (June to August 2022), 30% of the analysed population (625,000 people) experienced high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). Compared to the previous years, the food security situation in the region deteriorated significantly with the population in IPC Phase 3 or above increasing from 8% to 30%. At the time of the assessment in July 2022, about 61% of the households were employing crisis or worse food coping strategies and 83% were employing Crisis and Emergency livelihood coping strategies.

In Karamoja region, Northern Uganda, between June and August 2022, 25% of the population (about 315,000 people) experienced high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above).

Overall as compared to the March 2022 analysis, the food security situation had improved, with the food insecure population reducing from 41% in March-July 2022 to 25% in June-August 2022.  Government together with development partners and United Nations (UN) agencies within the region provided unconditional food relief to the IPC phase three classified households and scaled up labour intensive public works activities for households classified under IPC phase two, with the objective of smoothening household consumption, while establishing community assets.

On 20th September 2022, Uganda confirmed a case of Ebola in Ngabo Village of Madudu sub county, Mubende district.  By 11th January 2023, the outbreak had been declared over with cumulative cases of 142 confirmed and 55 deaths. A total of 9 districts were affected. Mubende, Kassanda, Kyegegwa, Bunyangabu, Kagadi, Masaka, Kampala, Wakiso and Jinja. Despite the end of the outbreak, the risk of emergence of the Ebola virus following the end of the outbreak remained high.

Prioridades del gobierno

Informed by the NSPP and the National Strategy on Social Protection, Government of Uganda priorities as informed by the National Development Plan III- Human Capital Development Programme under Objective 5: Reduce Vulnerability and Gender Inequality along the Lifecycle are:

  1. Expand scope and coverage of care, support, and social protection services of the most vulnerable groups & disaster-prone communities.
  2. Establish early warning systems for disaster preparedness including risk reduction & management of national & global health risks.
  3. Expand livelihood support, labour intensive public works, and labour market programs to promote green & resilient growth.
  4. Expand and reform contributory social security schemes to the informal sector to cover more risks and provide wider range of benefits

Regarding social partners’ priorities, the ILO continues to engage with the workers and employers’ organizations, in the promotion of social justice. Amongst other priority areas on workers’ rights, coverage extension to all workers, in the formal and informal economy, remains priority for both the National Organization for Trade Unions (NOTU) and the Federation of Ugandan Employers (FUE). Relatedly, engagements have been undertaken with both NOTU and FUE on bolstering worker awareness and knowledge on social protection. Deliberate focus and efforts have been directed towards collaborating with the NSSF in driving extension agenda through membership to NSSF of self-employed workers and improved compliance by the formal private sector members to NSSF obligations

Proyectos y programas de la OIT

Brechas en el financiamiento / Apoyar a la OIT

US$ 500.000

Advocacy through the UPFSP and other SP actors on increasing fiscal space

Impact: Increase in SP financing
US$ 1.500.000

Support of coordination initiatives for social protection delivery

Impact: N° of persons with better access to social protection (single registry, online application, one stop-service) - 1,200,000
US$ 1.000.000

Support the extension of the strategy to the informal economy

Impact: N° of persons potentially covered by a strategy - 500,000
US$ 100.000

Building of the capacity of government personnel on social protection through TRANSFORM

Impact: N° of persons potentially covered by a strategy - 200

Support the ILO

Expertos de la OIT

IMG
Jasmina Papa
Social Protection Specialist
IMG
Ricardo Irra
Social Protection Officer
David Mawejje
National Project Coordinator