The European Union and the German government have allocated Shs63 billion to support the capacity building of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the country. 

The head of programme of the Civil Society in Uganda Support Programme (CUSP) II, Mr Tassilo Von Droste, said the programme will strengthen the financial and governance capacity of CSOs to effectively engage in development processes at the national and local levels.

The programme is aimed at among others promoting the inclusion of marginalised groups and also fostering cooperation between state institutions and CSOs in planning, implementing and monitoring development processes in order to achieve sustainable development goals.

Mr Droste said under the programme, the beneficiary 150 CSOs will be supported in using digital tools to promote accountability and revenue mobilisation skills.

“This will ensure that vulnerable groups that are often overlooked can have a say in important development processes. They will ensure that no one is left behind,” he said.

Mr Nicolas Gonze, the team leader of governance and social inclusion at the EU, said they are building on phase 1 of CUSP to make sure participation in development processes is inclusive.

“We want participation in development to be as inclusive as possible with the focus on youth, women and people with disabilities,” Mr Gonze, said. 

Mr Gonze said under CUSP 1, CSO participation was promoted in the development processes in 78 districts across the country.

“About 1,635 CSO employees were trained on institutional development, strategic planning management and mobilisation,” Mr Gonze said, adding that 62 CSOs were developed and 79 capacity plans were implemented.

The executive director of Karamoja Women Umbrella Organisation (Kawou), Mr Thomas Odelok, said after training, more women participated in the 2021 General Election.

Mr Stephen Okello, the executive director of the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Bureau, said most of CSOs in the country do not last long.

“The biggest challenge NGOs or CSOS face in this country is that they have a very weak sustainability. They start very well but collapse after a few years, so a programme like this helps to strengthen their capacity,” he said.

He added that in 2019, they conducted a verification and validation exercise and found that out of 14,207 NGOs, only 2,000 were active and in existence.

“By the time we finished the exercise the number had dropped to 2,000 as we talk now, the number that on the register is about 4,000. Many of them are closing for different reasons but the main is capacity challenge, “he said.

The Inzu Ya Masaba cultural Institution leader, Mr John Amram Wagabyalire, asked the EU to fund more programmes geared towards promoting the welfare of the people. By Fred Wambede, Daily Monitor