The Republic of Ireland is to give 109 million US dollar (godt 620 millioner DKR) to Uganda for education and poverty-reduction projects, the head of development cooperation at the Irish embassy in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, told IRIN on Monday.
– Ireland will provide 90 million dollar in general budget support to the Poverty Action Fund and sectoral budget support to the health, education, justice, law and order sectors, and to the National Adult Literacy Programme, Liz Higgins said.
Education grants totalling 10 million dollar had also been allocated, she added.
Ugandas minister of finance, Ezra Suruma, and the Irish ambassador to Uganda, Martin OFainin, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday, under which Ireland undertook to provide the budgetary support, the development head said.
According to Higgins, Development Cooperation Ireland – the Irish governments programme for assisting developing countries – will provide an additional 9 million dollar for Ugandas Local Government Development Programme and its National Agricultural Advisory Services.
Higgins said all the funds would be disbursed by 2007.
At the signing on Friday, OFainin said it was important that the process of constitutional change and political transition taking place in Uganda be handled in “an inclusive, transparent and fair manner, which will command broad confidence of the Ugandan people – as well as Ugandas international friends”.
Kilde: FN-bureauet IRINnews
