Research Policy Briefs and Guidelines

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Addressing regional disparities in access to child and maternal health services
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2016) Ahaibwe, Gemma
Ensuring healthy lives through access to essential, affordable, quality health care for ‘all’ is the cornerstone of sustainable development and is what proponents of Universal Health Care (UHC) advocate for. Although Uganda has made some progress towards UHC, challenges remain with persistent inequality in access to maternal and child care services. Using the recently concluded MDG framework as an example, Uganda’s achievement on the various MDGS was mixed. A number of health related goals- which are of interest to this brief remained unachieved by the close of the September 2015 deadline; Uganda failed to reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio and narrowly missed target 4A that aimed to reduce the under-five mortality rate by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015.1 To date in Uganda, an estimated 16 women still die every day from preventable causes linked to pregnancy and child birth while approximately 90 per 1000 live births still die from preventable causes annually. Disaggregated analysis further reveals stark regional disparities in health outcomes; the PRDP region2 and in particular the Northern region continues to lag behind the rest of the country – hence pulling down national human development progress. As we embark on the journey towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 which call for ‘leaving no one behind”, there is a need to address binding constraints in such lagging areas. This brief unpacks the disparities in achievements in maternal and child related health outcomes for the PRDP region in comparison to the rest of the country and proposes reforms aimed at accelerating the movement towards universal health coverage.
Adequacy and effectiveness of Uganda’s gambling regulatory framework
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2016) Ahaibwe, Gemma; Lakuma, Corti Paul; Katunze, Miriam; Mawejje, Joseph
In light of the likely negative impacts of gambling, the industry needs to be strictly controlled, well regulated and effectively policed. Presently, the gambling industry is regulated by the National Lotteries Board (NLB) and is guided by the National Lotteries Act of 1967, the Gaming and Pool Betting (Control and Taxation) Act of 1968, and an addendum of statutory guidelines introduced in 2012/13. Findings from the desk review and key informant interviews reveal that many facets of the laws relating to lottery and gaming have become obsolete and are not sensitive to the new modes of gambling and the unprecedented growth of the industry. Furthermore, the National Lotteries Board (NLB) has substantial capacity problems and limited statutory powers and is not always able to effectively exercise its mandate herein inhibiting its ability to comprehensively regulate the gambling industry.
Coffee Production a Golden Opportunity for Rural Youth Employment
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2013) Mbowa, Swaibu; Ahaibwe, Gemma; Mayanja, Musa Lwanga
This brief provides evidence on the status-quo in the coffee value chain and reveals that over 68 percent of profit margins along the international raw coffee value chain are retained at the farm level – and therefore opportunities for youth employment in the coffee value chain lies at the production level. Nevertheless the challenge remains the limited ability for the youth to actively participate in the primary coffee production. The upstream coffee production is a domain of households headed by the persons in the prime aged 31 years and above, seemingly with secure access to land - a key prerequisite given that coffee is a perennial crop. Therefore the concept of a new generation of young coffee farmers becomes more distant if issues regarding to access to land are not addressed.
Education, Marriage, Fertility and Work Choices of Young Women in Uganda
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2017) Ahaibwe, Gemma
Despite the existence of several policies and laws aimed at empowering women to participate as equal partners in development, a number of challenges remain in Uganda. Low female education attainment, early marriages, teenage pregnancies and poor female labour market outcomes continue to hamper progress in attaining Sustainable Development Goals of gender equality. Using the School to Work Transition Surveys (SWTS 2013 and 2015) and the Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys (2006 and 2011), this policy brief explores links between educational attainment, age of marriage and child birth, and labour market among young Ugandans (15-24 years of age). Overall, we find that young women leave school early, give birth and/or get married before the legal age of 18 years, enter the labour market early with limited skills, while a good number are inactive (neither in the labour market nor in school). Additional evidence shows that women (25-49 years) whose first birth/marriage was before the age of 20 are less likely to be in professional /technical and managerial occupations and more likely to be engaged in agriculture (majorly subsistence) with little income accruing to them. This calls for a coordinated approach in implementing the policies that are aimed at keeping young women in school, delaying marriage and births and those that broaden opportunities for decent employment.
Expanding HIVAIDS prevention programmes through Safe Male Circumcision and Voluntary Counselling and Testing in Uganda
(2013) Ahaibwe, Gemma; Kasirye, Ibrahim; Barungi, Mildred
Although Uganda initially registered large reductions in HIV/AIDS prevalence rate during the 1990s, the rate of new HIV infection is on the rise across the country. At least 1.2 million Ugandans are infected with the HIV virus1 . Recent evidence from the 2011 Uganda AIDS Indicator Survey revealed that the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate had increased from 6.4 percent in 2004/5 to 7.3 percent by 20112. The trends in new HIV infections in figure 1 suggest that the annual number of new HIV infections increased by 11.4 percent from 115,775 in 2007/08 to 128,980 in 2010/11, despite the huge amounts of resources earmarked for HIV/AIDS related expenditures. The increase in the HIV/AIDS prevalence has been blamed on the complacency of Ugandans with the availability of anti-retrovaral therapies (ARTs)— especially regarding sexual behavior.
The Extent of Gambling in Kampala City
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2016) Ahaibwe, Gemma; Lakuma, Corti Paul; Katunze, Miriam; Mawejje, Joseph
At a time when unemployment -particularly youth unemployment- is at its highest levels, there have been concerns that the youth have resorted to gambling as a source of livelihood. However, not so much empirical evidence existed to confirm these allegations regarding the level of participation and characteristics of gambling participants. This brief, based on a baseline survey conducted in Kampala city in April 2015, attempts to fill this vacuum by providing insights into the level of participation in the gambling industry. Survey findings show that gambling is prevalent at 24.3 percent among adults with sports betting as the most popular gambling activity. The majority of gambling participants gamble as a source of livelihood as opposed to leisure, and age, employment status and gender are major determinants in gambling participation. Finally, overall community reaction reflects a fairly negative perception on gambling.
Grants Vs Loans! What works best for young entrepreneurs?
(2015) Guloba, Madina; Ahaibwe, Gemma; Kasirye, Ibrahim; Aliro, Elizabeth Birabwa
Access to formal financial services remains limited in Uganda. Only 4 percent of the youth accessed credit and borrowed from formal banking institutions. As a result, youth are increasingly accessing microcredit to finance their business enterprises. However, several studies reviewed reveal that in-kind grants perform better than cash grants. In addition, impacts differ across gender with male youths registering more notable successes on business turnover than their female counterparts. Strict eligibility criteria, approval of business plans, family pressure, motivation, initial credit constraints and few initial assets were some of the contributing factors in driving gender differences of financial impacts.
How Effective is the Self-Reliance Agenda in Uganda’s Refugee Response?
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2019) Ahaibwe, Gemma; Depio, Sheila
The 2006 Uganda’s Refugee Act has been widely commended for being progressive and exemplary. Some of the distinctive provisions of the law include allocation of arable land to refugee households, access to public social services and the freedom to seek employment and operate businesses. These generous provisions were expected to empower refugees to sustain themselves overtime. The recent surge in refugee arrivals and the increasing protracted nature of refugee situations, coupled with undependable and inadequate refugee assistance, sustainable solutions like promotion of self-reliance among refugees become imperative. This policy brief highlights the extent of self-reliance among refugees, identifies factors promoting or hindering self-reliance among refugees and proposes policy options. The brief is based on the 2017 EPRC refugee survey that was conducted in the rural settlements of Nakivale, Rwamwanja, Bidibidi, Rhino camp, Pagirinya and urban refugees in Kampala (Kisenyi, Katwe and Nsyambya).
Options for Improving Girls’ Access to Secondary Education in Uganda
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2014) Barungi, Mildred; Kasirye, Ibrahim; Ahaibwe, Gemma
Uganda was among the first African countries to initiate a large-scale Universal Post- Primary Education and Training (UPPET) program in 2007. As result of this program, the student population in secondary schools increased by 25 percent, while the population in business and vocational schools increased by 46 percent. The focus on post-primary education led to a reorientation of the education budget, with the secondary subsector accounting for 19 percent of public education resources in 2007–08—up from 14 percent prior to the introduction of UPPET.
Overcoming the reproductive health challenges to young women’s employment prospects in Uganda
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2017) Ahaibwe, Gemma; Kasirye, Ibrahim
Despite the existence of a fairly strong legal framework, young women in Uganda continue to face a number of challenges as they make the crucial transition into adulthood. In particular, girls are pushed into early marriages and pregnancies and are often deprived of full education attainment. Such experiences have lasting impacts on their future economic opportunities. Research findings show that discriminatory social norms and practices still exist –particularly in rural areas - and they affect the ability of girls and young women to realise their educational and economic capabilities. Young people with more education are likely to transit to better jobs as and when employment opportunities arise. Moreover, early fertility and marriage experiences often result in increased caring responsibilities and restricted mobility in search of employment opportunities.
Perceptions on Violence Against Women in Uganda:Implications for Policy
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2019) Ahaibwe, Gemma
Despite the existence of supportive laws, policies and programs, women and girls continue to face various forms of violence including sexual, physical, psychological, and economic, among others. Evidence from the 2017 National Governance, Peace and Security Survey reveals a high tolerance to violence against women. This is in part attributable to social attitudes and norms that condone and perpetuate the prevalence of violence against women in Uganda; women’s high financial dependence on men; shame and low self-esteem and concern for children. In addition, there is limited reporting of violence related cases by victims and limited knowledge of laws and policies that criminalize various forms of violence such as human trafficking and female genital mutilation. This brief1 recommends zero tolerance to violence against women through positive change in perceptions, beliefs, behaviors and practices; popularizing relevant policies through mass sensitization campaigns and providing timely, equitable access to justice and effective enforcement of laws.
Promoting self-employment through entrepreneurship financing: Lessons from the Uganda Youth Venture Capital Fund.
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2014) Ahaibwe, Gemma; Kasirye, Ibrahim; Barungi, Mildred
Youth unemployment continues to be a developmental challenge not only in Uganda but in several sub Saharan countries. Ugandan youth (18-30 years) are twice likely to be unemployed compared to their older counterparts (31- 64 years). As the government struggles to look for solutions to the unemployment challenge, one approach has been the promotion of self-employment through the establishment of National Youth Funds. Specifically, the Youth Venture Capital Fund (UYVCF) worth UGX 25bn (about US$ 10 million) was introduced in 2011 and more recently, in September 2013, government significantly boosted youth schemes by allocating UGX 265 billion (about US$ 100 million) to the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP) over a five-year period.1 The major pillars of these initiatives are: enterprise development, job creation and business skills training and development. Using the UYVCF as a case study, this brief examines the level and determinants of youth participation in the fund and evaluates the operations of the fund against the initial guidelines and procedures as stipulated in the Aide memoire 3 between the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development and the participating banks. Furthermore, this brief summaries lessons on emerging youth fund implementation practices in a few chosen countries that could inform the improvement of existing youth funds in Uganda. We majorly relied on secondary data provided by the largest commercial bank –Centenary Bank- participating in the fund and was complemented by a survey of beneficiaries as well as potential beneficiaries.
Skills mix for young entrepreneurs: The right way to go
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2015) Guloba, Madina; Ahaibwe, Gemma; Kasirye, Ibrahim; Birabwa, Elizabeth
Provision of skills training has been identified by Government of Uganda as one of the major initiatives to be undertaken to make youth more enterprising while addressing the skills mismatch employers are grappling with. A review of evidence on skills provision shows that a combination of skills training yield higher impacts on labour market outcomes and training in one is not sufficient. In addition, training targeted at every stage of entrepreneurial development (mind-set, incubation, start-up, growth and expansion) are vital in sustaining businesses venture over the long-term with emphasis on peer-to-peer mentoring.
Why Persistent Youth Unemployment Amidst a Growing Economy in Uganda
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2013) Mbowa, Swaibu; Lwanga Mayanja, Musa; Ahaibwe, Gemma
This brief is extracted from a report by Mbowa et al (2013)1 and illustrates the big fact that benefits of a growing economy are accruing to a relatively small proportion of population because growth in the services and industrial sector is not yielding commensurate jobs for the bulging youthful population. Overtime the structure of Uganda’s economy has changed with services and industry overtaking agriculture in terms of sectorial contribution to GDP. However, despite this change in structure, agriculture still employs the largest proportion of the working force2. This implies that the largest share of the labour force (over 60 percent) contributes less than 25 percent to GDP. In the short to medium term agriculture will remain the major source of employment for the majority of the youth. This call for increasing agriculture productivity along the entire agriculture value chain.

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