Shared Waters, Shared Responsibility: Building a Circular Blue Economy on Lake Victoria

 

The floating solar-powered lamp in position to attract the silver fish. The lamps are placed just after sunset to provide light that attracts the silver fish to the surface. Later, the fishermen spread their nets below the light to catch the fish 

(📷: waterjournalistsafrica.com, 2021)

At dawn on the shores of Lake Victoria in Homa Bay, Kenya, Juma wipes rainwater from his face as he pulls in his fishing nets. The catch is smaller than it was five years ago. Beside him, his son carefully lifts a floating solar lamp from the canoe — a fragile but important tool that now helps the family fish through the night without relying on expensive kerosene. Across the lake in Mwanza, Tanzania, Rehema turns rows of silver fish (locally known as dagaa) drying under a solar-powered tent while calculating whether today’s earnings will cover school fees. In Uganda’s Kalangala Islands, Moses studies the darkening clouds before setting off onto increasingly unpredictable waters.

Though separated by borders, their stories are connected by one reality: Lake Victoria is changing, and so must the livelihoods that depend on it.

For generations, fishing communities around Africa’s largest lake have relied on kerosene lanterns and battery-powered lamps to attract omena and dagaa during night fishing. But those technologies have come at a heavy price. Rising fuel costs, toxic battery waste, fire risks, and pollution have steadily increased pressure on a lake that already supports more than 40 million people across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda (Siemens Stiftung, 2024).

Today, solar fishing lights and other environmentally friendly fishing technologies are emerging as part of a growing effort to make fisheries on Lake Victoria more sustainable and climate resilient. Yet their real promise goes beyond clean energy. They also represent an opportunity to build a more circular economy around the lake — one where materials are reused, waste is reduced, and natural resources are protected instead of depleted.

That matters because Lake Victoria’s environmental crisis is not only about overfishing. It is also about how communities produce, consume, and dispose of materials. Discarded fishing nets, damaged batteries, plastic waste, untreated industrial discharge, and poor waste management practices continue to pollute shorelines and waterways.

Hence, the transition to solar fishing technologies is not simply about replacing kerosene lamps and lead-acid batteries. It is about rethinking how Lake Victoria’s fisheries economy produces, uses, repairs, and disposes of resources in ways that protect both livelihoods and ecosystems.

Solar Fishing Lights Gain Ground — Unevenly

Projects such as WePower – WeTu in Kenya are beginning to show how cleaner and more circular approaches can work in practice. WePower’s approach involves taking deliberate steps, starting with introducing solar-charged fishing lanterns and eco-friendly floaters. By renting our lanterns to their clients, WePower – WeTu  takes care of the charging and maintenance of our products to ensure quality and an environmentally sound reuse and recycling process. Their solar-powered lanterns are designed to last longer, reduce fuel dependency, and lower heavy-metal pollution caused by disposable batteries (Siemens Stiftung, 2024).

However, a regional study by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO, 2024) revealed that over 90% of fishers in Kenya and Tanzania are using battery-powered solar lights, while in Uganda, the use of Solar lights was slowed down by a ban following a claim that it leads to catching of immature Nile perch. However, this was overturned after a study by the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NAFIRRI) that found usage of electric solar lamps during fishing on water bodies to be safe and environmentally friendly.  

But Dr Brian Isabirye, Commissioner in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, revealed the Ugandan government will not rush to ban the usage of paraffin lanterns, but would instead promote the use of electric solar lights, increase access and facilitate loans to enable fishermen to acquire the lighting systems. “We shall not ban the use of kerosene lanterns now, but rather encourage the fishermen to access the solar lights. We shall work with the traders and the entire private sector to provide the lights to the fishing communities,” he added (The Daily Monitor, August 14, 2023).

In Tanzania, the Fisheries Union Organisation (FUO), based in Mwanza region, Tanzania, working together with Sagar Energy Solutions Co. Ltd, through dialogue-based community meetings, reached out to more than 500 community members on the islands of Ito, Nfulubizi, and Ikulu in Buchosa District, who  expressed concern over the misuse of lead-acid batteries in fishing activities. 

At the same time, FUO introduced the option of solar-powered fishing lights to them as a safer, clean-energy alternative that reduces toxic exposure and protects aquatic life. FUO warns that ‘Used batteries are often discarded directly into the lake or placed carelessly near fish after harvesting, allowing toxic chemicals and heavy metals to contaminate water and fish consumed by communities’. Many participants reported that the sessions had corrected previous misconceptions about solar lamps, especially regarding their durability, effectiveness, and economic benefits.

Circularity opportunities from the use of solar lights

Repairing solar lamps, recycling batteries, reusing fishing materials, and developing local maintenance systems can create jobs for young people around the lake while reducing waste. This is in addition to fish waste itself, which is already being reused as organic fertiliser, animal feed, or biogas instead of being discarded into waterways. In the Lake Victoria basin, where youth unemployment remains high, these circular economy opportunities could strengthen livelihoods beyond fishing alone.

For families like Juma’s, the benefits are practical and immediate. Solar lamps reduce spending on kerosene, improve visibility at night, and reduce exposure to smoke and toxic fumes. Researchers from the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KEMFRI) have also found that LED solar lights can attract fish more efficiently because the light penetrates deeper into the water than traditional kerosene lanterns (The Star Kenya, 2024). According to WePower – WeTu, by the end of 2024, over 430 fishermen across three counties in Western Kenya’s Lake Victoria region had adopted solar fishing lanterns, thereby promoting efficient and sustainable fishing of silverfish.

‘This innovation has enhanced safety and productivity in night-time fishing while reducing reliance on harmful kerosene lamps and lead-acid batteries, WePower – WeTu’s 2024 Report notes in part.

Barriers to the adoption of solar fishing technologies

Yet despite growing interest, access to solar fishing technologies remains deeply unequal across the lake basin.

For example, Moses explains that purchasing solar fishing equipment still requires money that many fishing households simply do not have. A boat may need several solar lamps every night, and replacing damaged batteries or lighting systems can cost more than a family earns in weeks.

Although East African governments have promoted renewable energy in recent years, fishers and cooperatives argue that solar fishing equipment still faces high taxes, import duties, and transport costs that keep prices unaffordable for poorer communities (IEA, 2025).

The absence of targeted tax exemptions and import duty relief for solar fishing technologies has become a growing frustration around the lake. Many fishers believe governments treat solar fishing tools as luxury products instead of essential livelihood equipment. As a result, cleaner technologies remain concentrated among wealthier boat owners, while poorer fishers continue relying on cheaper but more polluting kerosene systems.

In this regard, FUO and its partners continue to call upon the Tanzanian Government, the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), and all relevant authorities to take immediate action by removing taxes on solar fishing lights to protect public health, preserve the Lake Victoria ecosystem, and promote safe, sustainable fishing practices for present and future generations. ‘The adoption of solar fishing lights continues to face serious challenges because battery-powered lights remain cheaper on the market, while solar lights are heavily affected by import duties and taxes', FUO emphasises in one of its public statements.

Beyond the use of solar lights, wider Lake Victoria challenges persist

Other barriers persist, too. Some landing sites lack charging infrastructure, maintenance services, spare parts, recycling systems, or access to affordable financing. Theft of solar equipment has also discouraged adoption in certain fishing communities. Without stronger circular systems for repair, reuse, and recycling, even green technologies risk creating new waste challenges in the future.

And even where green technologies are adopted, they cannot solve the Lake’s deeper environmental crisis on their own.

Fish stocks continue to decline due to overfishing, illegal fishing gear, pollution, invasive species, and climate change. Plastic waste washes onto beaches after heavy rains, while unpredictable weather patterns make fishing seasons increasingly dangerous and uncertain (Associated Press, 2023). Rising water temperatures and ecosystem degradation are also threatening biodiversity and food security across the basin.

These realities reflect broader concerns raised in the latest UN Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025. According to the report, only 35% of global SDG targets are currently on track or making moderate progress, while nearly half are progressing too slowly and 18% have regressed (UN DESA, 2025). Progress on SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 14 (Life below Water) remains particularly uneven in many developing regions, including East Africa.

As the region warms up to the Lake Victoria Day 2026 celebrations in Mwanza, these conversations are becoming more urgent. The event is expected to spotlight renewable energy, sustainable fisheries, environmental conservation, and community-led solutions across the lake basin.

But Lake Victoria Day should be more than a celebration. It should be a turning point.

This is because Lake Victoria is not just a body of water. It is food, transport, employment, culture, and identity for millions of East Africans. Protecting it requires more than pilot projects and speeches. It requires governments to invest seriously in affordable green technologies, remove taxes and import barriers on solar fishing equipment, strengthen fisheries governance, and support circular economy solutions that reduce waste while creating jobs and protecting ecosystems.

Communities around the lake are already showing willingness to adapt. Fishers like Juma, Rehema, and Moses are proving that sustainability and circularity are possible when innovation meets local knowledge and lived realities.

The real question ahead of Lake Victoria Day 2026 is whether policymakers, businesses, and development partners are willing to match that commitment.

It is therefore imperative for Governments to allow  targeted tax exemptions for certified solar fishing equipment, enforce regional standards for safe battery disposal and recycling, and support concessional financing for fishing cooperatives and groups and incentivise investment in community-based repair and maintenance centres across landing sites.

The truth is that the future of Lake Victoria will not be secured by technology alone. It will depend on whether East Africa chooses to build a circular and inclusive blue economy that places its people — and the waters that sustain them — at the centre of development.

References

1. Associated Press. (2023). Pollution and environmental pressure on Lake Victoria.
2. International Energy Agency (IEA). (2025). Tax Incentives for Renewable Energy.
3. Fisheries Union Organisation:  www.fuo.or.tz (Taasisi ya Muungano wa Wavuvi) and statements to the Government of Tanzania
4. Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO). (2023). Sustainable Fishing Technologies Programme.
5. Siemens Stiftung. (2024). WePower: Clean solar lamps for fishermen at Lake Victoria.
6. The Star Kenya. (2024). Solar lights changing lives of Lake Victoria fishermen.
7. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). (2025). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025.
8. The Daily Monitor (August 14, 2023). New research okays solar light for fishing
9. WePower – WeTu: https://wetu.co.ke/wepower/

Shared Waters, Shared Responsibility: Turning Lake Victoria into a Green Growth Engine

Traditional fishing gear along wetlands in Kalungu District, Uganda (📷UCSD)

At first light on the shores of Lake Victoria in Busia, where Uganda meets Kenya, Owino pushes his canoe into the water. The lake has fed his family for generations. But today, his catch is smaller, the shoreline dirtier, and the rains less predictable. Still, he rows out—because the lake is not just water. It is life, identity, and hope.

On 21 May 2026, leaders, activists, and communities will gather in Tanzania’s Mwanza Region for the inaugural Lake Victoria Day under the theme: “Shared Waters, Shared Future: Uniting for a Sustainable Lake Victoria Basin.” But beyond the speeches lies a harder reality: the future of the lake is inseparable from the region’s progress—or failure—on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with only a few years left to 2030.

A critical moment comes even earlier. From 18–19 May 2026, a Stakeholders’ Forum will bring together civil society, utilities, youth and women’s groups, and practitioners from across the basin. This must not become another talk shop. It should surface what is already working—and agree on how to scale it across borders.

Across the Lake Victoria Basin—home to an estimated 35–40 million people—progress is stalling where it matters most: jobs, clean water, and livable cities (African Great Lakes Information Platform, 2023). Population growth is accelerating, especially in lakeside cities such as Kisumu, Kampala, and Mwanza. Informal settlements are expanding, exposing a widening housing gap and overstretched urban services (UN-Habitat, 2022).

For families like Owino’s, this growth brings both opportunity and pressure: more markets for fish, but also more pollution, more competition, and no safety net.

And the lake itself reflects this strain.

Untreated waste and agricultural runoff are degrading water quality and fuelling invasive species such as water hyacinth. Fisheries that once sustained millions are under growing pressure from overexploitation. Climate change is intensifying floods and droughts, disrupting livelihoods across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. These are not isolated environmental problems—they are the visible symptoms of deeper development failures across interconnected SDGs: poverty (SDG 1), sustainable cities (SDG 11), climate action (SDG 13), and life below water (SDG 14) (United Nations, 2023).

A Green Growth Opportunity

Yet within this crisis lies a powerful—and often overlooked—opportunity: green industrialisation.

The Lake Victoria Basin is uniquely positioned to become a hub for sustainable, job-rich industries. Its vast water resources, strategic location, and rapidly growing population create the conditions for new pathways of inclusive growth. Sustainable aquaculture, fish processing, agro-based industries, renewable energy, and eco-friendly construction and packaging could generate large numbers of decent, green jobs—particularly for the region’s fast-growing youth workforce (ILO, 2022).

But this transition will not happen by default.

Without deliberate planning, rapid urbanisation and industrial expansion will deepen the very problems they aim to solve. Poorly planned housing will continue to encroach on wetlands that naturally filter the lake’s water. Informal industries will keep discharging untreated waste into the lake. Growth, in other words, can either restore the lake or accelerate its decline.

So what does a “shared future” really mean in this context?

It is not a slogan. It is a set of hard choices.

• Protect wetlands or lose water quality.
• Formalise industry or accept rising pollution.
• Invest in green jobs or absorb growing youth unemployment.

A shared future means aligning population growth, urban development, and industrialisation with sustainability. It means investing in affordable, green housing that protects ecosystems while improving living conditions. It means building sustainable aquaculture value chains that can meet strong regional and global demand. It means supporting small and medium enterprises to adopt cleaner production and circular economy practices—for example, turning organic waste from the fast-growing urban areas into fertiliser that supports regional ecological agriculture.

Above all, it means ensuring that communities like Owino’s are not left behind, but are central to this transformation.

It also means recognising that progress in the basin cannot be achieved through isolated national efforts. The lake already teaches this lesson: pollution crosses borders, fish stocks migrate, and economic opportunities are shared. Solutions must do the same.

Back on the water, Owino pulls in his net. The catch is modest, but he notices small shifts: fewer plastic bottles drifting by, more fishers respecting breeding zones, and new buyers asking for sustainably sourced fish. His niece, once unemployed, now works with a local enterprise in Kisumu that is turning water hyacinth into organic fertiliser inputs.

It is still fragile. But it is no longer just survival—it is the beginning of a different kind of economy.

Lake Victoria is no longer just an environmental concern. It is a test of whether East Africa can align growth with sustainability. The choices made now—on urban planning, housing, and industrialisation—will determine whether the basin becomes a green growth engine or a slow-moving crisis.

If it gets this right, it can become a model for the continent.
If it doesn’t, it will quietly become a warning.

And if the lake thrives, so too will the millions who depend on it.

References:

·         African Great Lakes Information Platform (2023)

·         UN-Habitat (2022) Urbanisation and Housing in East Africa

·         United Nations (2023) SDG Progress Report

·         ILO (2022) Green Jobs in Africa Report

She Walks Five Kilometres for Water. The World Has Five Years to Change That

Accessing water at a protected well in Wajir (📷IIED, 2019)

At first light in Wajir County, 14-year-old Fatimah lifts a yellow jerry can onto her head and begins the long walk—five kilometres to a shrinking water point. By the time she returns, school has already started.

Now consider this: in 2025, only about 30% of people in sub-Saharan Africa have access to safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2025). The rest—like Fatimah—are still walking.

This is the reality confronting the world in the final five years of the 2030 Agenda.

Now imagine a different morning.

Fatimah wakes to the steady hum of a solar-powered pump. A tap stands just steps from her home. Water flows—clean, reliable, close. She fills her container in minutes and runs to class. Her mother joins a local water committee that manages tariffs and repairs. Time is reclaimed. Dignity is restored. Opportunity begins.

This is what SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation for all) looks like when it works.

But globally, progress is off-track. Around 2.2 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, 3.4 billion lack safely managed sanitation, and 1.7 billion lack basic hygiene services (WHO & UNICEF, 2025). Africa carries a disproportionate share of this burden, with rural communities and women most affected (UNICEF, 2025).

That is why the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal and convened in the UAE from 2–4 December 2026, is a pivotal moment. It is not another convening—it is a test of whether the world can translate urgency into action (UN DESA, 2024; UN-Water, 2025).

So what will it take to change Fatimah’s story—and millions like hers?

1. Investment that reaches the last mile
Despite progress since 2000, current rates are insufficient to meet SDG 6 targets by 2030 (UN-Water, 2025). Financing must shift toward decentralised, climate-resilient solutions—solar boreholes, small piped systems, and safe sanitation services—supported by blended finance that connects global capital to local delivery.

2. Innovation that works for people
Technology is already transforming access: remote monitoring of water systems, mobile payments, and low-cost treatment solutions are improving reliability and sustainability (World Bank, 2024). But innovation succeeds only when it is co-designed with communities and grounded in local realities.

3. Political will that delivers systems, not promises
Water security depends on governance. Yet progress remains uneven, especially in fragile and climate-vulnerable regions (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2025). Governments must prioritise operations and maintenance, strengthen regulation, and protect water ecosystems.

4. Solidarity that moves beyond slogans
SDG 6 will not be achieved in isolation. It demands global solidarity—fair financing, technology transfer, and inclusive governance that centres women and youth. The 2026 Conference must catalyse this shift from fragmented efforts to collective action.

Fatimah’s story is still being written.

The next five years will decide whether she keeps walking for water—or turns on a tap and steps into her future.

If the world chooses urgency, investment, and solidarity, then by 2030, we will not just measure progress—we will see it, in villages and cities across Africa, where water flows, and opportunity follows.

References

• WHO & UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). (2025). Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000–2024: Special focus on inequalities.
• UN-Water. (2025). SDG 6 Progress Update 2025
• UNICEF. (2025). Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Global Status Update.
• UN DESA. (2024). Preparatory process for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference.
• World Bank. (2024). Water Global Practice: Innovation and Financing for WASH.

She Feeds Africa—Why Is She Still Shut Out? (IYWF 2026)

 

Women are the backbone of Africa’s food systems (📷JEEP)

At sunrise in northern Uganda, Amina scans her maize field—knowing exactly what to do, but lacking what she needs to do it. In Senegal, Mariama tends her rice plot. In Ethiopia, Almaz studies the sky, reading the rains like a clock. Different countries. Same reality.

They are the backbone of Africa’s food systems—yet still farming with one hand tied behind their backs.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, women make up nearly 50% of the agricultural labour force, and up to 60% in some countries (FAO, 2023). Yet only about 15% of landholders are women, and they receive just 2–5% of extension services (FAO, 2023; World Bank, 2024). The result is stark: women farmers produce 13–25% less than men, not due to their ability, but rather due to unequal access to resources (World Bank, 2024).

This is the reality the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF 2026) must confront.

For Amina—and millions like her—the first barrier is finance. Without land titles or formal records, women are often invisible to banks. Yet when women access credit, they invest directly in productivity and the well-being of their households. Closing the gender gap in agriculture could reduce the number of hungry people globally by up to 150 million (FAO, 2023). For Amina, that gap is the difference between planting on time—or not at all.

Next is technology—and the gap is widening. Across Africa, women are 29% less likely to use mobile internet than men, leaving over 200 million women offline (GSMA, 2023). That’s not just a connectivity issue—it’s a climate risk. Without access to timely weather forecasts or advisory services, women absorb more shocks. Yet when equipped, they are more likely to adopt climate-smart practices that improve soil health and resilience (FAO, 2023).

Education is the multiplier. When women farmers access training—whether literacy, agronomy, or market skills—productivity increases and households become more food secure. But extension systems still under-serve women, often due to delivery models that overlook their time, mobility, and social constraints (World Bank, 2024). Fixing this means redesigning how knowledge reaches them—locally, inclusively, and consistently.

Then comes the hardest shift: decision-making power.

Across Africa, women grow food—but rarely control the land, the income, or the decisions that shape their futures.

Weak land rights and social norms keep them on the margins. Yet evidence shows that closing gender gaps in agriculture could increase farm output by up to 10% and reduce poverty by 13% (FAO, 2023). When women lead—in cooperatives, households, and policy spaces—investment decisions improve, and communities become more resilient.

These gaps are interconnected. Finance unlocks technology. Technology strengthens resilience. Education amplifies voice. And decision-making sustains change.

This is why IYWF 2026 must go beyond recognition—it must drive gender-transformative action. Policies must not only include women, but also actively redistribute access to resources, information, and power.

Because the truth is simple: Africa cannot achieve Agenda 2063 or the Sustainable Development Goals while half its farmers remain constrained.

Amina, Mariama, and Almaz are not waiting for change—they are ready for it.

Because every season we delay, the cost is measured in lost harvests, lost incomes, and lost potential we can no longer afford. 

Same Waste, Different Mindsets: The Real Reason East Africa’s Cities Are Drowning in Garbage

A waste dumpsite in Kampala's Bwaise suburb (📷Kimbowa Richard)

At 6:30 a.m. in Kampala, Aisha ties a knot on a black polythene bag and sets it by the roadside. Inside is everything—banana peels, plastic bottles, leftover food, and her baby’s used diaper. When the truck comes, it will all go to the same place in Buyala (Kampala City Council’s new landfill site).

A few streets away, Peter does it differently. He separates his waste—organic for compost, plastics for sale.

Same city. Same waste. Completely different outcomes.

The Growing Waste Challenge

East Africa’s cities are expanding rapidly—and so is their waste problem. Urban populations in Sub-Saharan Africa are projected to nearly double by 2050, significantly increasing municipal solid waste generation (World Bank, 2018). In Kampala alone, the city generates over 1,500 tons of waste daily, yet a substantial portion remains uncollected or poorly managed (KCCA, 2022).

More than 50–60% of waste generated in East African cities is organic (UNEP, 2015). This means it could be composted or converted into energy. However, when mixed with plastics and hazardous waste, it becomes contaminated and largely unusable.

This is where segregation comes in—and why it starts in the mind, not the landfill.

The Real Problem: How People See Waste

In many East African cities, waste is still viewed as something to “throw away” rather than something to manage. This perception drives behaviours like open dumping and burning, which remain widespread in informal settlements and peri-urban areas (NEMA Uganda, 2020).

But the issue goes beyond awareness. It is behavioural:

• If waste is seen as useless, people won’t sort it.
• If sorting feels like extra work, it won’t happen.
• If responsibility is seen as “the government’s job,” behaviour won’t change.

Segregation demands a shift from “out of sight, out of mind” to “my waste, my responsibility.”

When Mindset Changes, Systems Work

Across East Africa, small but powerful examples show what happens when people rethink waste. In Kenya, enterprises like TakaTaka Solutions have built viable recycling models by working with households that separate waste at source (UN-Habitat, 2020). In Uganda, community initiatives like End Plastic Pollution Uganda are converting organic waste into compost and plastic into construction materials—unlocking both environmental and economic value.

These innovations succeed where behaviour supports them.

Because here’s the truth:
No recycling system can fix mixed waste.

Segregation is the foundation of a circular economy—where waste is minimized and materials are continuously reused (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2019).

Why Segregation is a Mindset Issue First

Policies, bins, and trucks matter, but they fail without behaviour change.

Studies show that knowledge alone does not lead to improved waste practices; attitudes, convenience, and social norms play a decisive role in whether households segregate waste (Guerrero, Maas & Hogland, 2013). In many cases, even where infrastructure exists, low participation undermines system efficiency.

This means real change requires:

• Reframing waste as value (organic waste = fertilizer, plastics = income)
• Normalising sorting at the household level
• Building community norms and accountability

In cities where segregation becomes “what everyone does,” adoption accelerates.

A People-Centred Way Forward

Back in Kampala, imagine if Aisha changed one habit—just one. She separates her banana peels. Her neighbour notices. Soon, a collector starts buying plastics in the area. A small ecosystem begins to form.

This is how transformation happens—not through policies alone, but through people.

East Africa does not just need better waste systems. It needs a cultural shift.

Because the future of its cities will not be determined by how much waste they produce—but by how people choose to see it.

References

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2019). Completing the Picture: How the Circular Economy Tackles Climate Change.
• Guerrero, L.A., Maas, G., & Hogland, W. (2013). Solid waste management challenges for cities in developing countries. Waste Management.
• Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) (2022). Solid Waste Management Status Report.
• National Environment Management Authority (NEMA Uganda) (2020). State of the Environment Report.
• UN-Habitat (2020). Waste Wise Cities Tool.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (2015). Global Waste Management Outlook.
• World Bank (2018). What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management.

Rewriting the Rules: Why Investment Frameworks Must Deliver for Uganda’s Development

A Coffee farm in Kyesiiga Sub county in Masaka district, Uganda (📷 Kimbowa Richard)

Uganda—and Africa more broadly—does not suffer from a shortage of investment interest. What it faces is a deeper, more structural challenge: investment rules that are not consistently designed to deliver long-term development outcomes.

Despite attracting between $2–3 billion in foreign direct investment annually (World Bank, 2023), Uganda continues to grapple with persistent structural gaps. Industrialisation remains uneven, job creation lags behind population growth, and critical sectors such as energy and manufacturing are yet to reach a transformative scale.

Nowhere is this disconnect more visible than in the energy sector. Over 80% of Ugandan households rely on biomass—primarily charcoal and firewood—for cooking (Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2022). This dependence carries significant costs: deforestation, public health risks from indoor air pollution, and lost economic productivity. It also highlights a central policy failure—investment is not sufficiently aligned with everyday development needs.

This is not a uniquely Ugandan problem. Across Africa, the continent receives just 3–4% of global foreign direct investment (UNCTAD, World Investment Report 2023/2024), while facing a climate financing gap exceeding $200 billion annually (African Development Bank, 2022). The issue is therefore not only the volume of investment, but its quality, direction, and governance.

At the heart of this challenge are investment rules—embedded in national laws, bilateral investment treaties, and regional agreements—that have historically prioritised investor protection and capital inflows over sustainable development outcomes. While these frameworks have played a role in attracting investment, they often lack the policy space and incentives needed to ensure that investments contribute meaningfully to national priorities.

Uganda now has an opportunity to recalibrate.

First, investment frameworks must be explicitly aligned with national development strategies. This includes integrating clear sustainability criteria into investment promotion regimes—linking incentives to job creation, local value addition, clean energy adoption, and environmental stewardship.

Second, policy coherence is essential. Investment policy cannot operate in isolation from energy, climate, and industrial policies. Aligning these domains reduces regulatory uncertainty, lowers investor risk, and enhances the developmental impact of capital inflows.

Third, Uganda and its regional partners should rethink the design of investment agreements to better balance investor protections with public interest safeguards. This includes provisions that preserve the government’s ability to regulate in areas such as environmental protection, public health, and community rights.

Finally, there is a need to prioritise investments that directly address structural constraints—particularly in energy access. Expanding clean cooking solutions and reliable electricity access is not only a social imperative; it is foundational to productivity, health outcomes, and climate resilience.

The broader lesson is clear: investment alone does not guarantee development. Without the right rules, incentives, and institutional alignment, capital can flow without delivering meaningful transformation.

For Uganda, the task ahead is not simply to attract more investment, but to shape investment so that it works for people, the economy, and the environment. That requires moving beyond a narrow focus on inflows and toward a more strategic, development-oriented approach to investment governance.

In a rapidly changing global economy—marked by geopolitics, climate pressures, shifting supply chains, and growing demand for sustainable finance—countries that get these rules right will be best positioned to translate investment into lasting prosperity.

Uganda should aim to be among them.

East Africa’s Most Valuable Infrastructure Isn’t Built — It’s Grown

 

An Analog forest with coffee intercropped with trees in Sironko district (📷Kimbowa Richard, 2024)

As the world prepares to mark International Day of Forests on March 21, 2026, Grace Nafula begins her morning the same way she always does — walking into the small forest behind her home in Bumatofu, Buhugu sub-county, Sironko district (Mount Elgon region, Uganda).

The air smells of damp soil and wild leaves. She checks the beehives tied to tree trunks, gathers leaves of Momordica foetida (commonly referred to as Ebombo in local Luganda), a climber that has multiple medicinal benefits, including treatment of coughs, which her grandmother taught her to recognise. She also collects dry branches from nearby Musambya (Markhamia lutea) and guava trees for use in cooking.

To an outsider, it may look like a simple patch of woodland. But to Grace, it is a storehouse, a pharmacy, a fuel station, and a bank.

“This forest feeds us,” she says.

Across East Africa, millions of households share Grace’s reality. Forests are not simply landscapes — they are economic infrastructure quietly supporting livelihoods, water systems, agriculture, and energy supply. Yet unlike roads, dams, or power plants, forests rarely receive the financing needed to sustain the services they provide.

The scale of community dependence is enormous. Globally, about 1.6 billion people rely on forests for their livelihoods, particularly rural communities and smallholder farmers (FAO, 2022). In Africa, forest resources contribute roughly 22 per cent of household income in rural areas, through products such as fuelwood, fruits, medicinal plants, and building materials (Angelsen et al., 2014).

In East Africa, dependence is even more visible. More than 80 per cent of households rely on wood fuel — mainly firewood and charcoal — for cooking and heating (International Energy Agency, 2023). Forest foods such as wild fruits, mushrooms, nuts, and edible insects also provide important nutrition for millions of rural families, particularly during droughts or poor harvest seasons (FAO, 2022).

For communities living near forests, this reliance can be even greater. Studies of forest-adjacent households in East Africa show that forest products can account for 30–40 per cent of total household income, especially among poorer households with limited access to land or formal employment (Angelsen et al., 2014).

Beyond household livelihoods, forests underpin major sectors of the regional economy. Forested watersheds regulate water flows that supply cities, irrigate farms, and power hydropower plants. Forest ecosystems protect soils that sustain export crops such as coffee, tea, and bananas. Biodiversity-rich forests also support tourism — one of East Africa’s fastest-growing economic sectors.

These contributions align strongly with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Healthy forests support SDG 15 (Life on Land) through biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration. They contribute to SDG 13 (Climate Action) by absorbing carbon and stabilising rainfall patterns. Forest-based livelihoods also advance SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) by strengthening rural incomes and food security (United Nations, 2023).

Yet despite their immense value, forests across East Africa remain under pressure.

The region continues to lose hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest every year, largely due to agricultural expansion, charcoal production, and infrastructure development (FAO, 2023). Uganda alone has lost nearly half of its forest cover since 1990, shrinking from about 4.5 million hectares to roughly 2.3 million hectares today (National Forestry Authority, 2024).

This loss is not only an environmental concern — it represents the erosion of natural infrastructure that supports economic activity and human wellbeing. 

When forests disappear, communities lose more than trees. They lose fuel, food, income, and water security — the very foundations of rural economies.

Grace Nafula’s small forest offers a glimpse of what a different development pathway could look like. The honey from her beehives now provides a steady income for her household, while the trees protect her soil, regulate water, and shelter the crops that feed her family.

“If the forest grows,” she says, “our lives grow too.”

Her words capture a reality often overlooked in economic planning: forests are not simply environmental assets — they are foundational infrastructure for livelihoods, food systems, and climate resilience. For millions of East Africans, forests function much like roads, water systems, or energy grids: they sustain economic activity and reduce vulnerability.

Recognising this role requires a shift in policy and financing priorities.

First, governments must begin treating forests as productive national assets within development planning and public investment frameworks, including national accounting systems and infrastructure strategies (World Bank, 2022). Second, stronger support is needed for community forest management and local enterprises, which evidence shows can improve both forest conservation and rural incomes when communities have secure rights and incentives (FAO, 2023). Third, international climate finance — including carbon markets, restoration funds, and nature-based solutions financing — must be scaled up to reward countries that protect and restore forest landscapes (UNEP, 2023).

These actions are essential not only for environmental protection but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land) (United Nations, 2023).

As the world marks the International Day of Forests in 2026, the message for East Africa is increasingly clear: protecting forests is not a luxury — it is an economic necessity.

The region’s forests already support millions of livelihoods, stabilise climate systems, and underpin agriculture and energy security. But without sustained financing and stronger policy recognition, this natural infrastructure will continue to erode.

The real test for governments, investors, and development partners is whether forests will finally be financed, governed, and valued like the critical infrastructure they truly are.

References

• Angelsen, A. et al. (2014). Environmental Income and Rural Livelihoods. CIFOR.
• FAO (2022). Forests and Rural Livelihoods.
• FAO (2023). Global Forest Resources Assessment.
• International Energy Agency (2023). Africa Energy Outlook.
• National Forestry Authority (2024). Uganda Forest Status Report.
• UNEP (2023). State of Finance for Nature.
• United Nations (2023). Sustainable Development Goals Report.
• World Bank (2022). Forests, Trees and Landscapes for Sustainable Development.