World Bank Officials Embark on IFPA-CD Project Support Mission in Uganda

A high-level delegation of World Bank officials, led by Country Manager Mukami Kariuki, embarked on a project support mission to supervise the implementation of the Investing in Forests and Protected Areas for Climate Smart Development (IFPA-CD) project in Uganda.

The mission kicked off on January 27, 2025, at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where the team met with implementers, including officials from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), National Forestry Authority (NFA), and the Ministry of Water and Environment.

Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Area Chief Warden, Guma Nelson, welcomed the visitors and presented updates on planned IFPA-CD project interventions and the current implementation status. Key achievements highlighted included buffalo stone wall reconstruction and reinforcement, local energy-saving stoves, tea seedlings, invasive species eradication, and livelihood development initiatives.

The project has also focused on enhancing the livelihoods of the Batwa community through sustainable income-generating activities such as beekeeping, candle making, handcrafts, and wood curving.

Present at the meeting were Margaret Mwebesa, Commissioner for Climate Change and National Project Coordinator for IFPA-CD, Nicholas Stephen Zmijewski, World Bank Task Team Leader for IFPA-CD Project, and UWA officials from Kampala headquarters led by Kapere Richard, the UWA focal point for IFPA-CD projects.

On the second day of the mission, the World Bank team conducted a supervision visit to IFPA-CD project sites in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. They engaged with local communities, assessed the project’s impact, and visited the Nkuringo Community Development Foundation.

The team was welcomed by Ronald Tindyebwa, Warden of Tourism in the Southern Sector, at Nkuringo UWA offices. They also met with local NGOs, including Step by Step Future for the Batwa Children, Kigezi Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living with HIV, Bio Vision, Batwa Development Organization, and Batwa Indigenous Organization.

After six action-packed days, the IFPA-CD projects field mission concluded on January 31, 2025, at Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (QECA). The team visited invasive species intervention sites and an electric fence that has reduced animal trespass into community gardens by over 70%.

IFPA-CD’s presence in QECA aims to improve sustainable management of QECA and increase benefits from its landscape through addressing challenges like wildfire, poaching, invasive plants, unemployment in neighborhood communities, and human-wildlife conflicts.

Ag. Chief Warden Dr Eric Enyel appreciated support received from IFPA-CD, including motorcycles, vehicles, solar panels, and commutation gadgets, during his debrief of IFPA-CD projects’ progress, impacts, and challenges at Mweya laboratory.