Uganda Green Economy Barometer 2018

The Uganda Green Economy Barometer 2018 examines the status of Uganda's transition to a green economy, highlighting the gap between a conducive policy environment and actual implementation. While the country possesses significant natural capital and a low greenhouse gas emissions profile, the transition is hindered by high initial costs, inadequate funding, and poor policy enforcement. The report advocates for a green growth model to drive economic growth, create millions of jobs, and ensure environmental sustainability as a pathway to middle-income status.

• Uganda's transition to a green economy is characterized by a significant gap between policy and practice; while the policy environment is conducive and core principles are mainstreamed in laws and plans, most of these initiatives have remained on paper and are not implemented.
• Adopting a green growth model could significantly boost Uganda's economy, potentially increasing GDP by 10% (an extra US$3.4 billion by 2020) and creating 4 million green jobs in sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, R&D, and services.
• Uganda has a very low greenhouse gas emissions profile compared to global averages, with per capita emissions estimated at 1.39 tons of carbon dioxide, contributing approximately 0.999% of total world emissions.
• The country's natural capital is declining rapidly, with forests decreasing by about 63% and wetlands declining from 18% to 8% between 1990 and 2015, posing threats to national security and the goal of reaching middle-income status.
• There is a substantial financing gap for the green transition; the total required investment is estimated at US$11 billion over the tenure of the Green Growth Development Strategy, with a current annual shortfall of approximately 72% in green growth-related finance.
• Uganda's energy sector is dominated by renewables, with 76% generated from hydro, 17% from thermal, and 7% from cogeneration, though the country remains energy poor with per capita consumption of 80kWh/year.
• The transition to a green economy is limited by several factors, including high initial costs, low adoption of green technologies, rapid population growth (3.2%), and the growth of the oil and gas sector, which is viewed as a carbon-emission sector.
• Economic inequality remains high in Uganda, with the wealthiest 10% of the population owning 35.7% of the country's wealth, which is 14 times the wealth owned by the poorest 10%.
• Uganda lacks a comprehensive system for attaching financial value to ecosystem services, although the draft National Environment Management Policy 2014 and National Environment Bill 2017 identify potential services and mechanisms for payment.
• The report recommends several strategic interventions to accelerate the transition, including political buy-in from top leadership, broad economic reforms in land and agriculture, and targeted catalytic investments in natural capital and renewable energy.

APA

Kaggwa, R., & Namanya, B. (2018). Uganda Green Economy Barometer 2018. Green Economy Coalition. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/Barometers-2018/Uganda-Barometer-2018-Full-Final-WEB.pdf

Chicago

Kaggwa, Ronald, and Bernard Namanya. Uganda Green Economy Barometer 2018. Green Economy Coalition, 2018. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/Barometers-2018/Uganda-Barometer-2018-Full-Final-WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kaggwa |first1=Ronald |last2=Namanya |first2=Bernard |title=Uganda Green Economy Barometer 2018 |publisher=Green Economy Coalition |date=March 2018 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/Barometers-2018/Uganda-Barometer-2018-Full-Final-WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kaggwa2018uganda, author = {Kaggwa, Ronald and Namanya, Bernard}, title = {{Uganda Green Economy Barometer 2018}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2018}, month = mar, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/Barometers-2018/Uganda-Barometer-2018-Full-Final-WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }