Project description

Title: Supporting the Office of the Prime Minister in implementing the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for northern Uganda
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Uganda
Lead executing agency: Office of the Prime Minister (OPM)
Overall term: 2008 to 2012

Context

The conflict that has been affecting northern Uganda for over 20 years has caused major structural, political, social and psychological damage. In October 2007, the Government of Uganda adopted the three-year Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda (PRDP), implementation of which began officially in the fiscal year 2009/2010.

The Karamoja region in north-eastern Uganda in particular has suffered decades of neglect by the central government. Violent disputes and conflicts between the tribes living in the region have exacerbated the situation. To boost the stimulus to development in the region, the Government has adopted the Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Plan (KIDDP), which is being implemented as part of the PRDP.

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) is responsible for coordinating and monitoring the PRDP and the KIDDP, while sectoral ministries and districts are in charge of implementing the measures stipulated in the plans. Institutional, staffing and financial capacity and resources, along with management expertise within the OPM, are still, however, inadequate for the complex task of overseeing implementation. Moreover, the districts do not have the planning, budgeting and monitoring resources to implement the activities stipulated in the PRDP. It is rare for decisions on measures to be taken on the basis of strategic planning. As a result, services are late in reaching target groups and are patchy, which is hampering efficient redevelopment in northern Uganda.

Objective

The OPM effectively and efficiently coordinates and manages the implementation of the PRDP. The capacity of the selected districts to plan transparently and on a participatory basis is also boosted.

Approach

The project supports the OPM in coordinating implementation of the PRDP and the KIDDP. The main aim is to improve the OPM’s management capacity at national and regional level. Using management of change, and cooperating closely with the appropriate government officers, it provides advice and support for the following actor-centred processes within the OPM:

• results-orientation of the PRDP monitoring system
• efficient preparation and follow-up of coordination meetings by the PRDP and KIDDP secretariat
• transparent communication of the use of PRDP funds to strengthen responsibility and accountability to the people of (northern) Uganda
• timely provision of handbooks and guidelines for the PRDP districts on making appropriate use of PRDP funds and on boosting responsibility and accountability
• introduction of an instrument for the conflict- and gender-sensitive assessment of new planned activities and training for central government officers and relevant ministries on conflict and gender sensitivity.

At local level, eleven district administrations are supported by advisors hosted by Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) on:

• input on the procedures and design of conflict-sensitive planning that takes account of gender aspects, budgeting, and environmental impact assessments
• on-the-job in-service training for district employees in balanced planning and realistic budgeting
• devising a PRDP-related monitoring and reporting system and adapting it to the specific requirements of the districts involved.

Results achieved so far

Basic data for the PRDP districts are recorded and processed in a newly set-up data centre. This facilitates systematic monitoring of progress towards implementing the PRDP.

Standardised reporting of progress and shortcomings in implementing the PRDP at district level has been adopted by around one third of the districts and is currently being adopted by a further third.

Forty PRDP work programmes have been drawn up, containing planned activities for individual districts. This enables the districts to apply for additional funding for poverty reduction.

Improvements in infrastructure are already showing initial success. In the first year of PRDP implementation alone, 700 classrooms and 670 kilometres of rural roads were built and 160 wells repaired. Health services and the judiciary are also operating more efficiently, which is making a vital contribution to reducing poverty and to reducing the disparities in development between northern and southern Uganda.

Further information

• Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda (OPM)
  Amt des Premierministers
  http://www.opm.go.ug
• Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda (PRDP)
  http://prdp.org.ug
• Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Plan (KIDDP)
  http://kiddp.org.ug