Uganda & Norway 25 Years of Energy Sector Cooperation

25 Years of Energy Sector In Uganda today, just 15 per cent of the population enjoy reliable access to electricity. Although still low, this is a great improvement over the situation 25 years ago when less than 5 per cent had access to the grid and nearly 40 per cent of the country lived in absolute poverty.

These gains have been hard won and, for a majority of Ugandans, their livelihoods remain fragile. The road back to poverty is a short one.

It is well established that access to clean, affordable electric power is a fundamental pre-requisite for all countries to lift themselves out of poverty and develop into advanced, resilient and sustainable societies. In Uganda – as this report shows – electric power is essential for delivery of public services, job creation and economic growth.

Indeed it can be argued that much of Uganda’s recent development achievements have gone hand-in-hand with improvements in access to electricity.

Norway has been involved in the development of the Ugandan electricity sector since the mid-1990s, beginning with support for hydropower generation along the Nile.

2016 marks the milestone of 25 years of Norwegian development assistance in clean energy development. Over this period, our engagement with the Ugandan government, companies, NGOs and the Ugandan people has deepened across the key areas of power generation, transmission and technical capacity building.

In the same period Uganda’s power sector has moved from being in stasis to being one of Africa’s most rapidly developing and promising markets. Today the sector is in the midst of an unprecedented boom in construction of new generation and transmission infrastructure.

Nonetheless, there is still a long way to go before Uganda reaches its goal of 80 per cent access to electricity by 2040 (National Vision 2040). The challenges are complex and manifold and will continue to require assistance from Uganda’s international development partners to facilitate the investments that are needed for the expansion and consolidation of its electricity system.