NRU :: Browsing by Author "Kasirye, Ibrahim"

Browsing by Author "Kasirye, Ibrahim"

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Addressing Gender Gaps in the Ugandan Labor Market
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2011) Kasirye, Ibrahim
Four out of every five women in Uganda are employed in agriculture, according to the 2008 Gender and Productivity Survey (GPS) in Uganda (EPRC, 2009); and 42 percent of women in the labour force are unpaid family workers—receiving no income despite contributing the largest proportion of the agricultural labour. Gender discrimination in the labour market is a pervasive economic problem in developing countries.1 Discrimination based on sex can take many forms in the labour market—from restricted access to certain sectors of employment—to differential pay by gender. As earlier noted, whereas 42 percent of women in Uganda are unpaid family workers, the corresponding rate for men is only 16 percent according to the 2008 GPS. Furthermore, the 2008 GPS shows that in the private sector, women in Uganda receive on average lower pay than men. Gender gaps in the labour market do not only lead to reduced incomes for women but also affects the status of women within society. Nevertheless, gender norms continue to dictate what a woman can and cannot do in Uganda and whether she can work outside her marital home. This environment has ensured that female exploitation in the labour market persists. As such, there is a need to address gender equity in labour market in Uganda—especially as the country attempts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Addressing the Poor Nutrition of Ugandan Children
(Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), 2012) Ssewanyana, Sarah; Kasirye, Ibrahim
One out of every three young children in Uganda are short for their age, according to the 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS); and the incidence of poor nutritional status is highest in the relatively better off sub region of South Western Uganda. Although poor child nutrition status is a pervasive global problem, it is mainly concentrated in a few developing countries. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 24 developing countries account for over 80 percent of the world’s 195 million children faced with stunting. Out of the 24 countries, at least 11 are from Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Furthermore, countries in SSA have made the least progress in reducing stunting rates—from 38% to 34% between 1990 and 2008—compared to a reduction of 40% to 29% for all developing countries. Uganda is among the developing countries with the largest population of stunted children—an estimated 2.4 million children aged less than 5 years in Uganda are stunted and this places the country at the rank of 14th—based on the ranking of countries with large populations of nutritionally challenged children
Better nutrition for children in Uganda The policy makers role
(Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), 2012) Kasirye, Ibrahim
Uganda has made tremendous progress in improving welfare outcomes in the past 20 years, some key welfare outcomes especially regarding nutritional status have performed dismally. For instance, the proportion of poor persons reduced from 56% in 1992 to 25% by 2010. Also, the infant mortality rate (IMR) reduced from 81 to 54 death per 1000 live birth during 1995-2011. Similarly, the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate reduced from 30% in the early 1990s to 6.7% by 2011. On the other hand, Uganda continues to maintain a large population of malnourished children and women and this dents the country’s impressive human development record. According to population based data from Uganda Demographic and health Surveys (UDHS) of 2006 and 2011, 2,314,620 children under the age of five are too short for their age (stunted). An estimated 250,000 children under the age of five suffer from severe acute malnutrition annually and are in need of medical treatment. However, the most recent estimates from the 2011 UDHS indicate that child stunting rates have declined in the past five years. The proportion of children aged below 5 years classified as stunted declined from 38% in 2006 to 33% by 2011 (Figure 1). Furthermore Figure 1 shows that Uganda has registered mixed progress regarding child nutritional health indicators and the country may not meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 1 target of halving Uganda’s underweight levels from 25% in 1990 to 12% by 2015. Worse still, Uganda appears to off the mark with regard to the target of halving the population below the minimum level of dietary energy consumption— the level of food insecurity has remained above the 60% mark since the 1990s.
Constraints to Agricultural Technology Adoption in Uganda: Evidence from the 2005/06-2009/10 Uganda National Panel Survey
(Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), 2013) Kasirye, Ibrahim
The study examines the determinants of improved agricultural technologies adoption in Uganda, using a nationally representative panel data set of 1,600 farming households, collected by the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics in 2005/6 and 2009/10. Two agricultural technologies— improved seeds and fertilizer—out of the seven types identified by the study were further considered and analyzed. Estimates from the probit regression model show that farmers with low education and land holdings are less likely to adopt improved seeds and fertilizer, while peer effects play a big role in influencing farmers to either use improved seeds or fertilizer. Furthermore, cattle keeping farmers in Western Uganda are more likely to abandon fertilizers and possibly resort to organic manure from livestock excreta. Policy, therefore, should be directed at addressing the supply side constraints of agricultural technologies.
Cost Effectiveness of Reproductive Health Interventions in Uganda: The Case for Family Planning services
(The African Economic Research Consortium, 2013) Ssewanyana, Sarah; Kasirye, Ibrahim
There seems to be a consensus among policymakers and politicians that innovative interventions have to be put in place to reduce the population growth rates in Uganda. The country’s population growth rate of 3.2% per annum is extremely high — even for a low income country. The above scenario is attributed to high number births per woman as measured by the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and this has remained substantially above levels elsewhere in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). For example, in 2006 Uganda’s TFR of 6.7 births per woman was higher than the SSA average of 5.5 births per woman. On the other hand, with an annual per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 300, Uganda remains one of the poorest countries in SSA. Furthermore, due to the predominance of informal activities and weak tax administration system, the country collects only 13.7 % of its GDP in taxes. As such the amount of funds available for financing health services in general and reproductive health services in particular are limited.
Development Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment prospects for Uganda’s youth in the Middle East
(2020) Nattabi, Aida K.; Mbowa, Swaibu; Guloba, Madina; Kasirye, Ibrahim
The brief examines the likely effects of COVID-19 on Uganda’s semi-skilled youth searching for employment opportunities in the Middle East. Ugandans employed as either semi-skilled or manual labourers in the Middle East increased from over 9,900 in 2010 to 21,000 in 2018. The main driver of labour externalization to the Middle East is the relatively high monthly wages offered for unskilled and semi-skilled jobs. Reports show that monthly remunerations range from $225 to $500 for domestic workers in Saudi Arabia; $350-$700 for a factory worker in Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia; and $350-$600 for persons in catering services in Qatar and UAE. Likewise, one could earn between $300- $900 as a security guard in both. Uganda’s economy benefited as remittances from the Middle East grew from $51.4 million in 2010 to $309.2 million in 2018; a contribution of 23 per cent of the $ 1.3 billion the country earned through remittances in 2018. COVID-19 pandemic challenges this source of remittances to the Ugandan economy. The expected drop in labour migration to the Middle East brings to fore the need to support growth in other sectors identified in Uganda’s agro-industrialization (AGI) agenda. Alternatives include domestic production of critical supplies for COVID-19 containment, such as masks and sanitizers; expedition of the expansion of the cotton and textile sector to bridge the employment gap for youth and women.
Ensuring Adequate Early Childhood Development for Uganda’s Children
(Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), 2012) Kasirye, Ibrahim
Although Uganda has made significant progress in reducing child deaths in the past five years, the country still faces major challenges in ensuring adequate early childhood development. This briefing highlights some of the major challenges affecting children during the first five years of life with focus on: the low immunization coverage rates and vaccine availability; poor child nutritional health status; and the limited enrollment of children in Early Childhood Development Centres.
Expanding fiscal space for social protection: The case for adolescent-oriented services.
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2021) Kasirye, Ibrahim
Uganda has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pandemicis likely to continue to impact residents in the short- and medium-term,especially children. To contain the spread of the virus, the Government of Uganda (GoU) instituted several measures, including lockdowns and school closures—all of which severely disrupted livelihoods. Projections indicate that economic growth slowed down to 3.2 per cent in FY 2019/20 from 6.8 per cent in FY 2018/19—due to loss of employment opportunities, disruptions to supply chains, social distancing SOPs—all of which will affect the ability to raise domestic revenues in the medium term. The pandemic poses severe threats to inclusive development and has the potential risk of widening inequality. In response to these challenges, social protection (SP) programmes can provide additional support to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups, and the long-term recovery of the economy through investments in the well-being of young people. However, broadening the scope of SP coverage will require expanding the fiscal space given the constrained fiscal environment in Uganda. There are important reasons for making a case for increased social protection spending in Uganda. Like other countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Uganda has traditionally allocated relatively meagre funding to SP. On average, SSA countries allocate 0.6 per cent of GDP to SP, and this level of spending is less than a quarter of the average spending globally of 2.6 per cent of GDP (OXFAM International (2020).
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.
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.
Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment prospects for Uganda’s youth in the Middle East
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2020) Nattabi, Aida K.; Mbowa, Swaibu; Guloba, Madina; Kasirye, Ibrahim
The brief examines the likely effects of COVID-19 on Uganda’s semi-skilled youth searching for employment opportunities in the Middle East. Ugandans employed as either semi-skilled or manual labourers in the Middle East increased from over 9,900 in 2010 to 21,000 in 2018. The main driver of labour externalization to the Middle East is the relatively high monthly wages offered for unskilled and semi-skilled jobs. Reports show that monthly remunerations range from $225 to $500 for domestic workers in Saudi Arabia; $350-$700 for a factory worker in Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia; and $350-$600 for persons in catering services in Qatar and UAE. Likewise, one could earn between $300- $900 as a security guard in both. Uganda’s economy benefited as remittances from the Middle East grew from $51.4 million in 2010 to $309.2 million in 2018; a contribution of 23 per cent of the $ 1.3 billion the country earned through remittances in 2018. COVID-19 pandemic challenges this source of remittances to the Ugandan economy. The expected drop in labour migration to the Middle East brings to fore the need to support growth in other sectors identified in Uganda’s agro-industrialization (AGI) agenda. Alternatives include domestic production of critical supplies for COVID-19 containment, such as masks and sanitizers; expedition of the expansion of the cotton and textile sector to bridge the employment gap for youth and women.
Improving the growth and transition of small and medium enterprises in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2017) Kuteesa, Annette; Lakuma, Paul; Gupta, Rakesh; Kasirye, Ibrahim
Urban areas in Uganda are increasingly facing competition for their resources in the face of rising population. More than one out of every five Ugandans are residing in urban areas and the urban population is expected to triple in next two decades. Most of the urban population resides in GKMA—a region challenged with unemployment and inadequate opportunities. Enhancing firm performance in urban areas offers a promise for jobs and local revenue to boost city development. Local governments and city council need to create mechanisms that address firm constraints and harness the factors that drive firm competiveness, growth and transition. Potential opportunities lie in collaborating with financial institutions to provide affordable credit, improving taxation procedures, establishing of business spaces for the small firms and influencing vocational schools to impact relevant skills.
Improving the Use of Agricultural Technologies in Uganda
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2013) Kasirye, Ibrahim
One out of every five agricultural households in Uganda have access to extension services, according to the 2008/9 Uganda Census of Agriculture1. Most agricultural households rely on fellow farmers to receive agricultural information. This is the environment despite the fact that the public expenditure on the extension system operated through the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme accounts for over 35 percent of the agricultural sector budget.
Institutional Constraints to Agriculture Development in Uganda
(Economic Policy Research Centre - EPRC, 2013) Bategeka, Lawrence; Kiiza, Julius; Kasirye, Ibrahim
Since the early 1990s, Uganda has implemented a number of reforms in the agricultural sector. However, in the past 10 years, the performance of the sector has lagged behind other sectors particularly services and industry. There are concerns among researchers and policy analysts that institutional constraints in agriculture play a central role in the lacklustre agricultural performance registered during the 2000s. This study examines the institutional constraints affecting agricultural production in Uganda. We recommend reforming the land tenure system as well as the architecture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries as means of dealing with the major constraints.
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.
Performance of Public-Private Partnerships in delivering social services: The Case of Universal Secondary Education Policy Implementation in Uganda
(Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), 2015) Barungi, Mildred; Kasirye, Ibrahim
After implementing the Universal Primary Education policy for 10 years, Uganda initiated the Universal Secondary Education (USE) policy in 2007. The objective of the USE initiative was to equitably increasing access to secondary education. The policy is implemented by public secondary schools as well as through a Public-Private Partnership (USE PPP) between the Ministry of Education and Sports and selected private secondary schools—mainly in sub counties without any public secondary schools. Within USE PPP, the government provides a subsidy (capitation grant) to private schools to enrol UPE graduates. This brief examines the performance of the USE PPP. The focus on USE PPP is due to the fact that this type of arrangement never existed prior to the USE policy. Based on primary data collected by the authors in 2013, we show that the USE PPP is performing moderately well in terms of good accountability, relevance, effectiveness, impact and participation. However, the USE PPP is performing poorly in terms of efficiency and sustainability.
Poverty and inequality dynamics in Uganda: Insights from the Uganda National Panel Surveys 2005/6 and 2009/10
(Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), 2012) Ssewanyana, Sarah; Kasirye, Ibrahim
While Uganda has made significant efforts in reducing the proportion of individuals and households living below the absolute poverty line, nearly 10 percent of the households continue to live in persistent or chronic poverty with significant differences across geographical areas. Of all households classified aspoor in 2009/10, nearly 49 percent were chronically poor households and as such the poor are not a homogenous group. Compared to 1992-99 period, households in Uganda were found to be more vulnerable to poverty in the period 2005/6-2009/10. These observed changes in the nature and patterns of poverty dynamics in Uganda require government to move away from universal poverty reduction interventions that continue to treat the poor as a homogenous group. Otherwise, Uganda’s achievement of the first millennium development goal of halving extreme income poverty earlier than 2015 might not be sustainable. The paper also examines the drivers of income inequality and finds that education remains the key determinant of income inequality. At the same time, income differences between regions are narrowing suggesting an indication of regional convergence on average income. While government’s fiscal targeting of the lagging areas and rural areas might explain the observed convergence in average income across geographical areas, there are other emerging development challenges that require further refinement for the current targeting. Access to public extension programs such as the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), which are intended to enhance agricultural production and productivity is skewed to well-to-do households and not evenly distributed across region. Similar observations are noted in terms of access to community infrastructure. There is also need to ensure that the benefit of economic growth reach the poorest in a way that expands their opportunities.
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.
Reducing the Burden of Diarrhoea among Urban Households in Uganda
(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2012) Barungi, Mildred; Kasirye, Ibrahim
Diarrhoea remains a big challenge to attainment of water related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Uganda. This brief examines the cost effectiveness of two water technologies in preventing Diarrhoea illness among urban households in Uganda. We estimate the reduction in the burden of disease arising from accessing either public stand-pipes or boreholes in urban areas. Details

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