Reimagining infrastructure transparency in Uganda_updated Country Scoping Study Report

We are thrilled to share results of our updated Scoping Study, " Reimagining infrastructure transparency in Uganda" which provides a baseline level of transparency and accountability in public infrastructure delivery processes in Uganda. This study provides a status on implementation of recommendations from the 1st Scoping Study conducted in 2017. Government progress on implementation of the 2017 recommendations was at 69% whereas CSOs at 60% and development partners 50%.

28 Institutions participated in the study, of the targeted 33. This was a highly engaged study. Interesting to note, is that, the 2017 study, had less focus on private sector, and citizen participation, which this study has well presented.

From the results, there was adequate political support for transparency and access to infrastructure (55%) and the laws and policies to support disclosure were adequate (68%). However, almost half of the respondents (46%) were not aware of any sanctions and incentives on disclosure of data, a phenomenon that undermines transparency and accountability in infrastructure delivery. Furthermore, access to procurement plans and clarity of bidding documents together accounted for 80% of the information needs of the private sector to effectively participate in procurement and infrastructure delivery. However, compared to other challenges, corruption (46%) remains the key hindrance to infrastructure delivery in Uganda.

The study we recommended that government strengthen the implementation of laws and policies on information access (The access to information Act 2005; PPDA Act 2003) and enforce sanctions and penalties for noncompliance. Besides, the Ministry of Finance should expedite the rollout of the electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system to enhance information access and reduce information asymmetry among the providers and the users of information. Furthermore, initiatives aimed at strengthening the participation of the private sector in infrastructure procurement and delivery, attitude change by PDEs towards data disclosure, as well as strategic stakeholder engagement of the major players (media, CSOs, and PDEs) should be fast-tracked.

We invite you to read the full report and share with us comments https://www.cost.or.ug/download/reimagining-infr…ing-study-report/