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KAMPALA - The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has pledged more financial support to the Government through the local government ministry.

IDB project and programme evaluator Amin Abdullah says Uganda is one of the African countries that has to be supported and become self-reliant.

On Thursday at the Golden Tulip Kampala, the local government ministry (MoLG), under the Local Economic Growth Support Project, in partnership with IDB, carried out a workshop for the dissemination of the findings of the Independent Evaluation of the Second Millennium Village Project.

Abdullahi Amin (L), the Manager Project and program evaluation with Dr.Ahmed Abdelgawad Senior Evaluation Specialist-Independent Evaluation Department IsDB during the dissemination of the independent final evaluation results of the Millennium Villages Project (MVP 11) in Isingiro District 2013-2017. This was at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Kampala on Thursday, February 8, 2024. (All Photos by Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

The Millennium Villages Project (MVP) model was initially launched in Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda in 2005 to demonstrate how an integrated rural development (IRD) approach to the community could significantly contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2015.

In Uganda, the MVP project was first tried in Isingiro district, where the funders and beneficiaries said it was a success.

Abdullah said: “The project was rated successful, We are extremely happy with the results. It had a significant impact on the lives of the beneficiaries and this is something that we can learn from as a bank.

Assumpta Ikiriza Tibamwenda

For seven years, the overall investment was $10 million (over shillings 38.4 billion) and the Government of Uganda contributed $1 million (about shillings 3.8 billion going by the current exchange rate).

Abduallah said Uganda is one of the key countries that they intend to continue partnering with for steady progress.

In seven years, the IDB project has reportedly trained 10,100 farmers in modern agricultural practices, increasing yields from 0.7 tonnes to 3.8 tonnes per hectare for maize and from 0.5 tonnes to two tonnes per hectare for beans. 

Dr.Ahmed Abdelgawad Senior Evaluation Specialist-Independent Evaluation Department IsDB disseminating the independent final evaluation results of the Millennium Villages project (MVP 11) in Isingiro District 2013-2017 at Golden Turip Hotel in Kampala on Thursday February 8, 2024.

The project also established and strengthened the capacity of six microfinance institutions and 10 co-operatives to support business growth.

To promote the quality of education, the project made strides by training 1,084 teachers, establishing a school feeding programme in 22 schools, providing scholarships to 143 learners for secondary education, and constructing three low-cost staff housing facilities for teachers.

The healthcare promotion component of the project, according to a report, helped reach measles immunisation coverage at 88%, up from 83%.

The Isingiro District Chief Administrative Officer, Alice Rushure remarks during the the dissemination of the independent final evaluation results of the Millennium Villages Project (MVP 11) in Isingiro District 2013-2017.

The report adds that the project also constructed 345 km of roads and three gravity flow schemes, serving a total of 20,000 households through 1050 connections. Overall, 64% of the output indicators were fully achieved, with major gaps in the targets such as skilled birth and access to improved water indicators.

Dr Issahaq Umar Iddrisu, the regional hub manager for the IDB Group in Kampala, said numbers are not important, but rather the relationship established between them and the Government and rather extending to other districts to boost uniform development.

Assumpta Tibamwenda from the local government ministry, said poverty can be reduced in places that look like death valleys.

Isingiro district LCV chairperson Aaron Turahi remarks.

She noted that the impact of MVP 11 remains a great milestone in Isingiro in terms of education, agriculture, livestock, health, nutrition, roads, trade, and water, among others.
She recommended the funders and government adopt the same project in other parts of the country.

Isingiro chief administrative officer  (CAO) Alice Asiimwe Rushure said the district is one of the developed areas after hosting the successful MVP phase II for seven years.  

She said with commitment and the Government joining hands with IDB, all communities could change, like those in Isingiro.

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Dr.Issahaq Umar Iddrisu, the Regional Hub Manager IsDB of Kampala remarks.

Dr. David Siriri remarks

Aaron Turahi (L), the Isingiro district Chairman LC5 greets Dr.Issahaq Umar Iddrisu, Regional Hub Manager IsDB Group Regional Hub of Kampala after the dissemination of the independent final evaluation results of the Millennium Villages Project (MVP 11) in Isingiro District 2013-2017.