Summary of FY2017 MOFA’s ODA Evaluation
Country Assistance Evaluation of the Republic of Uganda (Brief Summary)
Full text available here.
https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/evaluation/FY2017/pdfs/uganda.pdf 
| Evaluators (Evaluation Team) |
Chief Evaluator | Izumi Ohno Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies |
| Advisor | Masumi Owa Lecturer, School of World English, Chukyo University |
|
| Consultant | KPMG AZSA LLC | |
| Period of the Scope of Evaluation | April 2010 – December 2017 | |
| Period of the Evaluation Study | June 2017 – February 2018 | |
| Field Survey Country | The Republic of Uganda | |
Background, Objectives and Scope of the Evaluation
Uganda had a population of 41.49 million people in 2016 and its economy has been growing at a steady rate. Uganda plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the surrounding area such as accepting refugees from South Sudan and other neighboring countries. This evaluation study has been conducted for 1) improving ODA management and 2) fulfilling the accountability to the people in Japan.
Brief Summary of the Evaluation Results
1 Development Viewpoints
(1) Relevance of Policies (Rating: A-Very High)
The Evaluation Team has confirmed that Japan’s assistance policies for Uganda are consistent with the national development plan of Uganda, Development Cooperation Charter of Japan and the trend of international aid. Japan has provided Uganda with assistance focused on the areas where Japan has advantage, e.g. infrastructure development using advanced Japanese technologies, assistance for increasing rice production and capacity development in local administration to Northern Uganda. In this way, Japan’s efforts have been mutually complementary to assistance of other donors in Uganda.
(2) Effectiveness of Results (Rating: B-High)
Japan’s assistance to Uganda has made more remarkable contribution in quality than quantity (i.e. in the scale and amount). In the priority area of “Infrastructure Improvement to Achieve Economic Growth” stated in the Country Assistance Policy, Japan has assisted the development of “quality infrastructure” and formulation of the Master Plan on Logistics in Northern Economic Corridor. In the priority area of “Income Elevation in Rural Areas,” while Japan’s assistance has contributed to the increase in the yield of rice focusing on NERICA, it has faced problems attributable to the Ugandan side, such as the lack of agricultural statistics and problems in the extension system. In the priority area of “Improvement of Living Conditions (Health and Water Supply),” the improvement of various indicators, especially those in the health sector, has been observed. The program approach which combines a variety of aid schemes was adopted for the assistance in the priority area of “Peacebuilding in Northern Uganda.” The assistance focused on the development of basic infrastructure has contributed to the reduction in the poverty rate. However, it is expected to take some time to realize the effect of soft-component assistance including that for the development of administrative capacity and human resources partly because of the influence of the internal conflict in the past.
(3) Appropriateness of Processes (Rating: B-High)
Officials of the Government of Uganda (GOU) with the understanding of Japan and Japanese policy advisors dispatched to GOU have had positive effect on Japan’s assistance. The dispatch of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs) in groups (e.g. group dispatched for disseminating NERICA rice), partnership with private sector and the activities of the local staff of JICA Uganda Office in the Local Development Partner Group (LDPG) can be evaluated highly. The Embassy of Japan (EOJ) in Uganda has actively engaged in the public relations activities for Japan’s assistance. On the other hand, the Evaluation Team considers it necessary to develop a strategy for the dissemination and extension of the outcome of a long-term project such as in vocational training program. The team has also noted that EOJ in Uganda and JICA Uganda Office are required to handle increasing workload including assistance to refugees from South Sudan and also support for Japanese companies with their limited human resources.
2 Diplomatic Viewpoints
Uganda is in a pivotal location connecting the natural-resource-rich neighboring landlocked countries and the Port of Mombasa in Kenya. It is also an important base of PKO in South Sudan. As Uganda intends to develop its economy by promoting regional integration, Japan’s assistance to Uganda is also important in promoting stability and development of the surrounding area. The frequent exchange visits by top government officials between Japan and Uganda in recent years have intensified the interaction of people and cultural exchange. The team has identified the expansion of interaction between both countries’ local governments and private companies at multiple levels through the implementation of the projects with private sector and the development of global human resource through the experience of JOCV as a diplomatic impact of Japan’s assistance to Uganda. The improvement in the visibility of Japan’s assistance to Uganda has been confirmed by the increase in the number of articles about Japan in local media in the last few years. Business activities of Japanese private companies in Uganda are increasing gradually and Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises are establishing and expanding their business and developing new business in Uganda.
Recommendations
1 Strengthening strategic approaches in the implementation of assistance projects
(1) Strengthening Japan’s engagement in enhancing policies and systems of Uganda:
The knowledge learned from the practical experience in the field of assistance and the mutual trust thereby developed with the Ugandan counterparts should be utilized in order to increase Japan’s involvement in policy formulation for system development for the dissemination and promotion of outcome of individual projects (e.g. development of agricultural statistics and nationwide expansion of the vocational training program)
(2) Strengthening measures to develop ownership and self-help effort of Ugandan counterparts
(3) Formulation of exit strategies for long-term assistance projects, especially those for vocational training
2 Strengthening Japan’s ODA implementing structure in Uganda
(1) Assignment of a person in charge of partnership with private sector with knowledge and experience to EOJ in Uganda
(2) Promotion of local staff of JICA Uganda Office and provision of incentives to them and sharing of good practices with other JICA offices
(3) Active use of policy advisors and identification and development of persons specialized in development policies:
It is important to find and purposefully use persons with communication skills on assistance policies, including those who have worked overseas and in international organizations, to assign competent policy advisors continuously. The Evaluation team considers that it is important to expand and improve policy-oriented graduate programs in which Japanese graduate students study with foreign students to develop such persons.
3 Development and active use of human resources knowledgeable about Japan
Japan needs to develop human resource knowledgeable about Japan’s assistance and Japanese concept of values at the levels of formulation and implementation of policies and use them actively in Uganda, where many donors work. The Evaluation Team recommends that EOJ in Uganda and JICA take strategic measures such as maintaining close communication with GOU and relevant organizations to identify and develop pro-Japanese employees in them and provide such people with opportunities to play active parts in bilateral assistance projects.
4 Strengthening measures aiming at expanding interaction between Uganda and Japan at multiple levels
(1) Holding ODA Task Force Meetings in an expanded manner in both public and private sectors working in Uganda:
The Evaluation Team recommends creation of a venue for EOJ and JICA to exchange opinions with private companies and NGOs on various issues including investment environment, human resource development and cooperation with Japan’s assistance, in addition to the regular ODA Task Force meetings between EOJ and JICA.
(2) Establishment of venues for Ugandans and Japanese in the public and private sector to interact with one another in Uganda and Japan:
The Evaluation Team recommends creation of a venue of Ugandans and Japanese people in the public and private sectors in Uganda and Japan to exchange information and views for contributing career development of former JOCVs and African Business Education Initiatives for Youth (ABE Initiative) Program trainees, market exploration by private companies, and so on.