Andrew Stegmann

United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Partners with Private Sector Players to Reach the Last Mile with Digital Services

Goal is to enable 1 Million Rural Ugandans to use Digital Services

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) announced partnerships with digital services providers aimed at increasing access to and usage of digital services in the North and West Nile regions of Uganda. Through this partnership, UNCDF is supporting private sector players to develop and scale digital solutions for communities that are often marginalized and denied digital innovation and technology due to social norms, societal status, and limited revenue and capacity.

The partnership is part of the ‘Leaving No One Behind in the Digital Era,’ strategy, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), which aims to build an inclusive digital economy in Uganda. The programme focusses on empowering rural communities to use digital services in their daily lives for development impact in agriculture, health, education, and finance.

“In line with our strategy of ‘Leaving No One Behind in the Digital Era’, the partnerships aim at breaking the obstacles that limit the reach of digital services in rural communities. Our goal is to enable at least one million people in rural communities of Uganda to use digital services that will empower them to lead productive and healthy lives while at the same time contributing to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals”. Jenifer Bukokhe Wakhugu, Deputy Head of Office at UNCDF Uganda.

While the overall number of people accessing digital products and services in Uganda continues to grow, the digital access gap is widening, negatively impacting routinely excluded populations: rural communities, smallholder farmers, women, youth, MSMEs & refugees. Over the last four years, the Ugandan digital financial market has grown from 26% of the adult population actively using digital financial services in 2014 to roughly 56% in 2019. However, in rural communities, such as the Northern and West Nile Regions of Uganda, access to mobile digital financial services lags behind at dismal levels, at less than 30%.

To bridge this gap, UNCDF is partnering with mobile network operators (MNOs), Airtel Uganda and MTN Uganda, to increase mobile phone penetration, strengthen the rural agent network, improve liquidity, optimize connectivity across the target areas, and develop relevant and affordable products for rural communities.

UNCDF is also partnering with agri-techs, Ensibuuko Tech Limited and MobiPay Agrosys Limited, to create a network of digital community entrepreneurs (lead farmers) aimed at increasing last mile distribution of digital inclusion related services and products such as phones, off-grid energy solutions, bank accounts, farming inputs, and electronic airtime. Additionally, we are leveraging these partnerships to teach financial & digital literacy skills, with the aim of building and fostering an open payment ecosystem that empowers these communities.

“Through these partnerships, we aim at building the digital infrastructure in the rural communities to pave the way for digital technologies that will remove the major market constraints in agriculture, education and health, while at the same time creating impact in entire market systems.” Ms. Bukokhe added.

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

Andrew Stegmann
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Zambian and Ugandan Farmers Grow Yields Three Fold With Drought-Tolerant Maize

Zambia’s vice-president has recently called to reduce maize dominance and increase crop and diet diversification in his country. The reality is that maize is and will remain a very important food crop for many eastern and southern African countries.

Diet preferences and population growth mean that it is imperative to find solutions to increase maize production in these countries, but experts forecast 10 to 30% reduction in maize yields by 2030 in a business-as-usual scenario, with projected temperature increases of up to 2.7 degrees by 2050 and important drought risks.

Knowing the importance of maize for the food security of countries like Zambia, it is crucial to help maize farmers get better and more stable yields under erratic and challenging climate conditions.

To address this, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and its partners have been developing hundreds of new maize varieties with good drought tolerance across sub-Saharan Africa. Stakeholders in the public research and African seed sectors have collaborated through the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project and the Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) initiative to develop drought-tolerant seed that also incorporates other qualities, such as nutritional value and disease resistance.

A groundbreaking impact study six years ago demonstrated that drought-tolerant maize significantly reduced poverty and food insecurity, particularly in drought years. A new study from CIMMYT and the Center for Development Research (ZEF) in the main maize growing areas of Zambia confirms that adopting drought-tolerant maize can increase yields by 38% and reduce the risks of crop failure by 36%.

Over three quarters of the rain-fed farmers in the study experienced drought during the survey. These farming families of 6 or 7 people were cultivating 4 hectares of farmland on average, half planted with maize.

Another study on drought-tolerant maize adoption in Uganda estimated also good yield increases and lower crop failure risks by 26 to 35%. Drought-tolerant maize has a transformational effect. With maize farming becoming less risky, farmers are willing to invest more in fertilizer and other inputs and plant more maize.

However, taking the decision of adopting new farm technologies in a climate risky environment could be a daunting task. Farmers may potentially gain a lot but, at the same time, they must consider downside risks. As Gertrude Banda, a lead farmer in eastern Zambia, put it, hybrid seeds have a cost and when you do not know whether rains will be enough “this is a gamble.” In addition to climate uncertainty, farmers worry about many other woes, like putting money aside for urgent healthcare, school fees, or cooking nutritious meals for the family.

An additional hurdle to adoption is that farmers may not know all the options available to cope with climate risks. While 77% of Zambia households interviewed said they experienced drought in 2015, only 44% knew about drought-tolerant maize. This unequal access to knowledge and better seeds, observed also in Uganda, slows adoption of drought-tolerant maize. There, 14% of farmers have adopted drought-tolerant maize varieties. If all farmers were aware of this technology, 8% more farmers would have adopted it.

Because farmers are used to paying for cheap open-pollinated varieties, they are only willing to pay half of the hybrid market price, even though new hybrids are performing very well. Awareness campaigns on the benefits of drought-tolerant maize could boost adoption among farmers. According to the same study, the potential for scaling drought-tolerant maize could raise up to 47% if drought-tolerant varieties were made available at affordable prices at all agro-dealers. Several approaches could be tested to increase access, such as input credit or subsidy schemes.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], Jen Theodore [2].

Andrew Stegmann

Uganda Receives the Highest Marks for Friendliness, According to InterNations Report

Uganda

This East African country received the highest marks for friendliness. According to the InterNations report, 57% of expats in Uganda gave ‘general friendliness’ the best possible rating (the global average was 26%). Not only that, not a single respondent ranked this factor negatively.

Charlotte Beauvoisin, a British expat who writes about living in the capital Kampala at Diary of a Muzungu, said that welcoming all nationalities is an intrinsic part of the culture, and residents are quick to offer smiles to newcomers.

InterNations Ambassador Nadya Mileva, originally from Bulgaria and now living in Kampala, agrees, saying that the people are ‘amazingly friendly’.

“The country has a lot to offer, from breathtaking landscapes to high-end restaurants and bars to year-round summer,” she added.

Uganda isn’t without its problems, however, including the occasional power outage, pollution from old cars and infrastructure growing pains that can make traffic come to a complete standstill. But “the overwhelming majority of visitors to Uganda love the place. Many of us extend our contracts; many of us decide to settle here,” Beauvoisin said.

The majority of expats live in Kampala, where English is common and international restaurants abound.

“It has a high-energy core with a relaxed periphery well suited for families and others who prefer to stay at home,” Mileva said. While the southern half of the city is culturally diverse and less expensive, with easy access to Lake Victoria and the airport, the northern half is home to more affluent neighbourhoods. But expats live everywhere.

“There are not neighbourhoods predominated by mazungus [foreigners] and others only for Ugandans,” Mileva explained.

The country is also very affordable for food and labour – meaning that expats are usually able to maintain a high standard of living.

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Andrew Stegmann

Uganda Tightens Visa Security

Kampala — Gemalto the world leader in digital security, is supplying Uganda’s Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) with its Coesys Visa Management that combines swift issuance of all visas and permits with biometric enrollment upon arrival.

It is supporting the new solution with integration, deployment, maintenance and training for Ugandan immigration officers. The new scheme allows the authorities to manage the entire visa life cycle from application to issuance. It will help the country achieve its goals to facilitate travel, enhance national security and protect a traveler’s identity against theft.

“Gemalto answered our need for a strong, secure solution, based on international standards and in line with Uganda’s objective to facilitate travel,” said Commissioner Mr. Anthony Namara, Project Coordinator at The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Control. “Gemalto Coesys Visa Management provides a fast and flexible response to the challenge of large-scale regional migration.”

“This new project puts Uganda at the forefront of enhanced immigration solutions in East Africa,” said Ari Bouzbib, Senior Vice President of Government Programs at Gemalto. “The new system also fits with the regional initiative to deploy a single tourist visa program across Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. This enables Ugandan authorities to readily identify travelers and reinforce national security.”

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