A total of 440 climate-smart agricultural projects across Uganda have accessed Shs36.2 billion through the Agricultural Credit Facility (ACF), as the country increasingly turns to climate finance to help farmers and communities cope with the effects of climate change.
The disclosure was made by Dorothy Namarome, an official from the Bank of Uganda’s Administered Funds Department, while speaking at the 3rd Annual Africa Climate Finance Conference held on September 1–2 at the Marriott Hotel Kampala.
The conference, held under the theme “From Commitments to Capital: Operationalizing Africa’s Climate Finance Architecture,” brought together stakeholders to discuss ways of translating climate-finance commitments into practical investments capable of supporting sustainable development across the continent.
According to Namarome, the Shs36.2 billion has been channelled to climate-smart projects through 15 participating financial institutions under the ACF.
The financed investments include drip irrigation systems, solar power installations, rainwater harvesting technologies, dam excavation and the acquisition of drought-resilient seed varieties.
The investments are designed to strengthen the resilience of agricultural communities facing increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, prolonged dry spells and other climate-related challenges.
The figures highlight the growing role of agricultural finance in supporting Uganda’s climate adaptation efforts, particularly as farmers seek technologies that can reduce their dependence on increasingly unreliable rainfall.
The ACF, administered by the Bank of Uganda, provides affordable agricultural financing through participating financial institutions. By reducing some of the risks associated with agricultural lending, the facility enables commercial lenders to extend financing to projects that may otherwise struggle to attract credit.
Namarome’s presentation underscored the importance of using financial mechanisms such as the ACF to move climate action beyond policy commitments and into investments that deliver tangible benefits to communities.
Climate-smart investments such as irrigation, water harvesting and drought-resistant crops can help farmers maintain production during periods of water stress, while solar installations can provide alternative and more sustainable sources of energy.
The conference therefore comes at a time when African countries are under growing pressure to mobilise more domestic and international capital for climate adaptation and mitigation.
For Uganda, the experience under the ACF demonstrates how existing public financing mechanisms can be used to attract and direct private-sector capital towards investments that simultaneously support agricultural productivity and climate resilience.
With 440 projects already benefiting from Shs36.2 billion, the Bank of Uganda’s intervention points to the potential for scaling up climate-sensitive financing through commercial financial institutions.
The challenge now remains to mobilise substantially more capital and expand access to climate-smart financing, particularly for smallholder farmers and businesses that remain highly exposed to climate risks.
The Africa Climate Finance Conference provided a platform for stakeholders to examine how Africa can close the gap between climate commitments and actual financing, with Uganda’s ACF experience offering one example of how financial institutions can help turn climate ambitions into projects on the ground.
