Partnership with the Private Sector

Uganda’s economy is private sector led. As such, the Private Sector plays a key role in shaping the policy discourse on the country’s national development planning, supporting the coordination structure for SDG implementation, service provision, innovation and transformation. The Private Sector Foundation (PSFU) has collaborated with Government to support the achievement of specific SDGs, including SDG 5 (Gender Equality). The Private Sector supports innovation and IT solutions, and is a potential source of financing for SDG interventions.

In May 2021, Government launched a Private Sector SDG Platform for private sector collaboration. The purpose of the Private Sector Platform is to mobilize the private sector in Uganda to provide continuous support toward the implementation of the SDGs and NDP III. The primary objective of the Private Sector Platform is to rally the private sector on the SDGs and leverage the opportunities that exist within the SDGs for the private sector – for example, the growth of enterprises and access to markets.

The platform hopes to benefit the private sector holistically and contribute to the growth of the economy with an SDG lens, by mapping business activities to individual SDGs, and setting priorities that can contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. The platform is chaired by Government (OPM), co-chaired by the UN (Resident Coordinator’s office) and PSFU on behalf of the private sector.

The Private Sector SDG Platform has four pillars; i) Coordination, coordinated by the Office of the Prime Minister/SDG secretariat; ii) the Business Development Services Facility (BDSF); iii) the Knowledge Hub (working with academia to generate data and knowledge available for the private sector on investment opportunities); and iv) the SDG Challenge Fund for capital and mentorship, start-ups support and innovation, especially, for young people to contribute to the SDGs.