KAMPALA — Uganda has become the first African country to receive a results-based payment from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), securing US$31 million for verified emission reductions achieved through sustainable forestry and land management. The landmark approval recognizes measurable success under the “Uganda REDD-plus Results-Based Payment for Emission Reductions (2016–2017)” programme, which cut net emissions by over 8 million tonnes of CO₂ — equivalent to nurturing 133 million tree seedlings for a decade.
A historic first for Africa
The approval was announced at the 43rd Green Climate Fund Board meeting in Songdo, Republic of Korea, where Uganda’s project, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), was endorsed as the continent’s first GCF-backed results-based initiative.
Alfred Okot Okidi, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Water and Environment, hailed the decision as a milestone for African climate finance. “The revenue from these results clearly demonstrates how persistence and long-term planning yield results,” he said.
The payment rewards Uganda for verified emission reductions achieved during 2016–2017 under the REDD+ framework, a UNFCCC mechanism incentivizing developing countries to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
Collaboration built over a decade
The project reflects over 16 years of coordinated work among the Ministry of Water and Environment, FAO, the World Bank, the Austrian Development Agency, and the UN-REDD Programme. Together, they helped Uganda build forest monitoring systems, technical capacity, and verification mechanisms essential for Green Climate Fund accreditation.
Bob Kazungu, Uganda’s National REDD+ Focal Point, said the results highlight a turning point in forest governance: “This payment reflects Uganda’s determination to manage forests sustainably and invest in the future of its people.”
FAO Representative Yergalem Beraki called the GCF approval “a recognition of Uganda’s leadership in reducing deforestation as a cornerstone of sustainable development.”
Where the funds will go
The US$31 million disbursement will be reinvested in community-based forestry and land restoration projects designed to strengthen resilience and rural livelihoods.
Planned investments include:
- Sustainable land management and agroforestry
- Restoration of degraded forests
- Establishment of smallholder and community woodlots
- Climate-smart fuelwood production
- Strengthening monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems
These initiatives will directly support Uganda’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, while reinforcing local economies dependent on forests for income and fuel.
Balancing growth and protection
Forests currently cover around 2.36 million hectares of Uganda’s land area — critical to water regulation, biodiversity, and livelihoods. Yet agricultural expansion for crops and livestock accounts for nearly 90% of forest loss, posing a challenge to both rural development and emissions reduction.
The Green Climate Fund’s Director for Africa, Catherine Koffman, described Uganda’s achievement as “proof that verified emission reductions can unlock reinvestment in sustainable livelihoods and national resilience.”
Uganda now joins countries such as Chile, Colombia, Argentina, and Papua New Guinea that have received Green Climate Fund results-based payments with FAO’s support — marking a broader shift toward performance-linked climate finance across the Global South.
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