The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya, has held a meeting with a delegation from the Royal Danish Embassy and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the conclusion of a two-week Mid-Term Review field mission across districts implementing the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) and Uganda Refugee Resilience Initiative (URRI) programmes. The Danish team commended local governments for their strong leadership and commitment, noting that district leaders, from Chief Administrative Officers to municipal teams, have been central to the successful delivery of the ongoing climate adaptation and refugee support interventions.
The review team expressed satisfaction with the progress on the ground, highlighting visible benefits of climate resilience initiatives and the growing confidence communities have in the LoCAL programme. Ministry officials also noted increasing demand from districts seeking to join the programme, due to its positive impact.
Discussions emphasised the importance of sustaining these gains through continued capacity building for local government staff, improved coordination, and addressing logistical challenges such as transport and staffing, especially as newly elected local government leaders take office. The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to inducting the incoming leaders and enhancing programme delivery.
The meeting also highlighted the need for increased investment in climate research and data, and in developing district climate action plans to strengthen evidence-based planning.
In closing, the Permanent Secretary applauded the Danish Government for over three decades of support to Uganda’s decentralisation efforts, describing the partnership as instrumental in strengthening local governance and community resilience.
“We have had a cordial relationship, and the Danish Embassy has played a pivotal role in financing decentralisation initiatives in Uganda over the years,” Kumumanya said.
The Mid-Term Review is meant to guide improvements to ensure continued impact and sustainability.
About LoCAL
The Local Climate Adaptive Living (LoCAL) Facility is a Government of Uganda programme implemented by the Ministry of Local Government with support from the United Nations Capital Development Fund. It enables districts to access climate finance through performance-based grants to support community-level solutions such as climate-smart agriculture, water systems and resilient infrastructure, while strengthening local capacity to plan and respond to climate change.