Stakeholders Underscore the Need for an Alternative Model to Achieve Smart and Inclusive Cities

Stakeholders including representatives from Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, East African Legislative Assembly, Civil Society Organizations, Buganda Kingdom, Members of Parliament and Policy Makers agreed during a High-Level Policy Engagement on shaping the future of urbanization and economic development in Uganda that Africa’s future is urban. However, the quality of life for Africa’s city dwellers will directly depend on the quality of urban governance.

The objective of the Policy Engagement was to interrogate Uganda’s urbanization trajectory and to introduce Charter Cities Institute’s Next 50 Cities Coalition (NXT50), which convenes and mobilizes key stakeholders who are dedicated to harnessing Africa’s rapid urbanization for human prosperity. This engagement was organized by Charter Cities Institute (CCI) in partnership with SEATINI Uganda on 22nd April 2022.

While unpacking the Charter City model, Mr Carl Peterson, Partnerships Manager noted that Charter Cities are new cities with a special jurisdiction that allows for a more competitive business environment; high degree of legal and administrative autonomy from host country and defined geographic area that has the potential to grow into a city.

Mr Carl Peterson revealed that CCI promotes a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model that combines PPP governance model with City element such as Land (greenfield); Infrastructure and Governance; element such as Independent administration and decentralized powers.
It was further revealed that Charter Cities are trying to solve a set of problems that are common across the Global South i.e. Latin America, Africa and South Asia. The CCI model is aimed at achieving a win-win situation for the investors, government, the people and the communities.

Mr Julian Mukiibi, the Head of Partnerships at CCI reiterated that CCI is proud to partner with SEATINI Uganda given the important and excellent role SEATINI plays as Civil Society to balance out on the development issues. He emphasized that CCI model is flexible citing Malawi as a case study where CCI worked with the National Planning Authority to implement the secondary cities and that the country developed legislation along the lines of the Charter Cities model.

Ms. Jane Nalunga, Executive Director at SEATINI Uganda noted that CCI model is a very good model and the central part of it is that there is planning. We can use this model to plan for clear outcomes and objectives. Governance is key for economic development. However, the challenge in Uganda is that we have substituted governance for politics.

‘‘Charter Cities need clear governance, proper laws and policies, institutions which are working. If you add a mix of politics in this, things will not work. As SEATINI Uganda, we believe we can end challenges of poverty and unemployment with just clear plans and policies,’’ Ms Jane Nalunga said. She noted that SEATINI Uganda has a thematic area on Building Alternatives for Social and Economic Justice whose focus is on interrogating existing models and looking for new models that can work for us.
As part of her remarks, she observed that there most of Uganda’s cities are facing several challenges because on one hand, there are so many buildings which are empty yet some people who have no where to stay.

‘‘There are people selling merchandise on the streets but there are shops which are empty. Generally, there are challenges with our cities and there is urgent need to reassess the situation and rethink the existing models,’’ Ms Jane Nalunga said. She emphasized that the CCI model should allow for remodeling so that the CCI fits into our situation and after being domesticated and implemented accordingly.
She added, ‘‘Each country has its own challenges for example in Uganda, unless we link the cities to the rural areas, it will not work for us. There is need for backward and forward linkages between the cities and the rural areas and that can also help us to limit the rural-urban migration. We have challenges with PPPs as a country, our laws and regulations have a problem. Moving forward, there are issues which we need to reassess in order to address the existing challenges.’’

Hon. Christine Kaaya, Member of Parliament, Shadow Minister for Water and Environment/Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources noted that the CCI model is good given the fact that there is planning which is critical.
‘‘I believe we can solve our problems through proper planning. Different models have been implemented but they have not worked. We support the CCI model because it is key for economic development,’’ Hon Christine Kaaya said.

She observed that almost everything in our city is manual. Therefore, the issue of technology needs to be given top priority.
Mr Samuel Mabala, Country Urban Advisor, Cities Alliance observed that one of the biggest challenges that the country faces is the limited appreciation of urbanization as a key strategy to transform our economy to middle income status. He emphasized that there are several policy contradictions at all levels.

‘‘Uganda is one of the countries with an Urban Policy. Uganda has made an attempt towards slum upgrading. One of the projects was Namuwongo. However, it was not sustainable and it could not 60% of urban population is slums and informal settlements,’’ Mr Samuel Mabala said. He emphasized that if Uganda is to go forward, the issue of slums cannot be ignored. There is no country in the world that has transformed to middle income without planned urbanization. Zambia now has more than 50% of its population in urban areas but it is still a third world country while all the other countries, as long as they hit a 50% of the urban footprint, they transform into middle income. Uganda is likely not to realize it because, the country is not promoting planned urbanization.

He said, ‘‘What is driving urbanization as opposed to industrialization. We should not endeavor to discourage rural -urban migration. Most of our cities have been created by administrative and political dictates. The debate of taking services to the people should change, we should bring people to where services are. It is behind this drive of creating cities.’’
He cited the funding gaps and lack of implementing capacity as some of the key challenges limiting effective implementation of plans.

Hon. George Odongo, East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Member, Uganda observed that as a country, we have a crisis of development models and that we need to do a policy audit.
‘‘We need to domesticate the CCI model so that its tailor made,’’ Hon. George Odongo said.
He said, ‘‘If we are to change the livelihoods of people living in our cities, there must be an alternative model. We need to think outside the box. If we do not do something, we will be simply sustaining poverty. If a policy has to be developed to satisfy vested interests of a few people, then that’s not a policy. Not everything legal is right.’’

Mr Walugembe John, the Executive Director at the Federation for Small and Medium Enterprises reiterated that as people come to urban areas, there is need to create jobs for them. He noted that as we think about urbanization, we need to think about the kind of jobs our young people are going to do.

‘‘As we talk about Charter Cities, the issue of inclusion is very important,’’ Mr Walugembe John said.
Mr Henry Kassacca, the Executive Director at Dialogue and Democracy Training Center observed that people are leaving rural areas because these places are drying up. As we talk about urbanization, we need to rethink our development strategy and model.

SEATINI Uganda is committed to championing the quest for viable alternative models based on the quest for social justice.