National Urban Development Conference to be held annually—Nabakooba

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The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, has said the National Urban Development Conference will be held annually to help the Government articulate its development agenda through sustainable urbanisation.

“This conference will be an annual event that will help the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Government to articulate its development agenda through sustainable urbanisation and also attract other stakeholders and development partners to support our course,” she said.

She made the remarks at Uganda’s first-ever National Urban Development Conference, which took place at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.

“I pledge continued cooperation with all the well-wishers of the urban sector in this country and the Government’s unwavering support to develop sustainable urban centres for economic development,” Nabakooba said.

The two-day conference, which ended on Thursday (April 24), brought together urban planners, policymakers, local government officials, private sector stakeholders, and development partners to discuss strategies for sustainable urban growth.

Urban planners, policymakers, local government officials, private sector stakeholders, and development partners posing for a group photo at the summit. (Courtesy)

Dorcus Okalany, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, said the conference marked a significant milestone in their collective effort to reposition Uganda’s urban agenda as a key driver of social transformation, economic competitiveness, and environmental sustainability.

“We are gathered here at a critical time when over 25% of Uganda’s population is urban, and our urban centres continue to grow rapidly. This growth presents both a challenge and an opportunity,” she said.

Okalany noted that if well managed, urbanisation can deliver jobs, prosperity, innovation, and better living conditions.

“If left unattended, it can result in congestion, inequality, environmental degradation, and informality- and that is not what we want,” she told the conference that was organised by her ministry.

She also said that, as the ministry responsible for guiding the urban development agenda, they have made important strides under programmes such as the Uganda Support to Municipal and Infrastructure Development (USMID).

“We are currently implementing forward-looking policies and reforms, including the National Urban Policy, the National Physical Development Plan, and different frameworks for smart and climate-resilient cities,” Okalany stated.

She also said they must build a coalition of committed actors—from central and local governments, development partners, the private sector, academia, the media, and the community—to develop cities that are inclusive, productive, and sustainable.

Okalany informed the conference that as a ministry, they were in the final stages of preparing the Uganda Cities and Municipalities Infrastructure Development to succeed the USMID-Additional Financing project.

“This time, the program brings on board all the municipalities and cities in Uganda, in addition to the earlier ones already under the project. A lot has been done so far, and we are now engaging at a higher level for the project approval,” she said.

She, therefore, implored all participating local governments to put in place all the requisite requirements, as they will be guided from time to time by her ministry.

Urban development state minister, Obiga Kania, officiated at the closing ceremony of the conference on Thursday. The closing ceremony saw the local government state minister, Victoria Rusoke Busingye, hand over certificates of appreciation to the best-performing local government in the USMID program.