KAMPALA- As the year starts, setting plans and goals is one of the areas of accountability to one’s self and entities.
This is a guiding tool that helps to keep on track in regards to any deliverables and expectations.
In the Diplomatic corps arena, the French Embassy in Uganda organized a meeting and they shared their agenda and targets for the year as well as their major achievements as business and development partners in service with Uganda.
In his report, the French Ambassador to Uganda, H.E Xavier Sticker highlighted some of the achievements they had attained that included ;
- increased number of French Companies in Uganda that soared from 26 in 2019 to 40 to day in all sectors such as ; energy, logistics, infrastructure, services, distribution and many others.
- Expansion of of Kampala Business Club( CAK) with over 60 members half French, half Ugandan aiming to become a Chamber of Commerce this Year.
- There be an increased number of investors due to after the visit of a delegation of 13 French companies in November 2023, two sectoral missions and MEDEF (French employees’
union) investors expected at the end of 2024.
3.Together with other EU countries, they will be part of the EU-Uganda Business Forum (5-7 March , 2024), with a number of French companies looking for opportunities and
partnerships.
4 .Their contribution through (French agency for Development ( AFD ) and Proparco (private sector finance) in Uganda Portfolio of ongoing
projects worth €1.2bn which had a great impact in the country.
In the same spirit, the Ambassador shared their 2024 plans that they intend to achieve like the Katosi drinking water supply plant (formally inaugurated in 2021) that will serve more 450,000 people able to access piped water and over 250,000 people from greater Kampala which has been bank rolled by European Funds & €225M AFD loans.
He also mentioned the Water treatment plant on the Kagera River which is expected to be commissioned later this year.
” The construction work is employing 500 workers, 90% of whom are Ugandans and with in 2 years, it will supply drinking water to Isingiro and Mbarara districts with an expected number of 1 million people getting an average of 12 litres of water per day. Currently, for refugees in the Nakivale camp, the project is funded by a
€73.5m soft loan from AFD” H.E Sticker says.
- In the energy sector , the Kiira-Nalubaale hydropower plant rehabilitation project will be progressing in 2024.
The plant will produce 380 MW, 1/3 of Uganda’s electricity demand at a tune of € 73M AFD loan and €2M AFD grant & €10M EU delegation grant. - Youth; The youth are the backbone of Uganda and due to age demographics, alot priorities have spelt out clearly for them .
The French International School of Kampala inaugurated new premises in January 2024 with 282 students and a capacity 300 with 40 nationalities of which 30% French and 26% Ugandan. - Alliance française de Kampala new Franco-German screening room with 80 seats is one of the things to check out for young Uganda film makers.
- Teaching French in Uganda; Fonds Equipe France’s “Français/Francophonie” project has more than 3,800 beneficiaries, mainly young people under 30); French corners in Ugandan universities; International Federation of Teachers.
- Study in France fair in March.
With this, ten French universities will be coming to Uganda in early March under the Flagship #Choose France Uganda#, 7 scholarships , 6 master’s scholarships in 2023-2024 , 7 internship and language training and the launch of the association Ugandan former students in 2024 will take shape. - Entrepreneurship; There will be an employability project starting and with several dozen of young Ugandans supported in their business.
- Careers Forum in March 2024;
This will be a networking event where young job seekers will have a chance to interact with some of the French companies together alongside Ugandan ones. - Culture: This is in preparation of a project to support young film and music producers + digitization in 2024.
- University and research cooperation: Paleontology which focuses on the study of fossils, animals and plants. This has been in the areas of (Karamoja and West Nile since 1985).
- Women’s rights; This is one of those vital areas of focus and they will conduct an assessment of the ” Intergenerational and creative Ugandan feminist movement” project with 12 beneficiary NGOs, capacity-building & micro-projects).
- Rights defenders; Refugees in the Nakivale and Kyangwali camps – Voluntary contribution of €900,000 earmarked for UNHCR (funding the salaries of 37 secondary school teachers), food aid through ACF (Action contre la faim), €500,000 in 2023-2024, sustainable improvement in nutrition and food security for 2,000 households.
- Debate; This is one of the ways of sharing and listening to the different views from the experts and the public. The same is going to happen at the 7th edition of the ‘Kampala Geopolitics’ Conference later this year with several hundred Ugandan students expected and special thematic events throughout the year.
-Cooperation for peace and stability;
Fight against international terrorism and this has been through operational training of ATMIS UGABAGs and Mountain troops involved in Operation
Shujaa and also over 20 UPDF Soldiers learn French both short and long term courses each year.
The Country Director, Agence Francaise de Developpement ( AFD), Marc Trouyet also noted that they are honored to work on some of the projects in Uganda and this has been through the Private Public Partnership ( PPP) and hope to extend their hand to others in the pipeline that are being worked upon.
