There is a very strong rationale for Uganda to progressively increase its investment in social protection up to 2030 and beyond and that social protection should figure prominently in the upcoming five- and ten-year National Development Plans. Not only would investment in social protection significantly reduce poverty and inequality, it would enhance government investments across many sectors.
It was therefore proposed that Development Pathways provide a two-day training course on social protection to support those leading the preparation of these National Development Plans. Our team delivered this within the framework of the Expanding Social Protection (ESP) programme being implemented by Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
Development Pathways developed the training on social protection in order to build the capacity of National Planning Authority (NPA) staff – and other Government stakeholders involved in planning – to gain a better understanding of social protection. This will enable the NPA to determine the role social protection should play in the upcoming five and ten-year National Development Plans and the Social Development Sector Plan.
The training, held in Jinja, Uganda, in August 2018, included social protection modules covering: definitions, approaches, brief history, impacts, approaches to selecting beneficiaries, and financing; as well as interactive games, simulations and discussions among participants.