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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Uganda
Index
Peasant agricultural production has been the
predominant
economic activity since precolonial times. Despite an
active
trade in ivory and animal hides linking Uganda with the
east
coast of Africa long before the arrival of Europeans, most
Ugandans were subsistence farmers. After declaring Uganda
a
protectorate in 1893, Britain pursued economic policies
that drew
Uganda into the world economy primarily to serve Britain's
latenineteenth -century textile industry. Cotton cultivation
increased
in importance after 1904, and once it became clear that
cotton
plantations would be too difficult and expensive to
maintain,
official policy encouraged smallholder farmers to produce
and
market their cotton through local cooperative
associations.
By 1910 cotton had become Uganda's leading export. In
the
following decades, the government encouraged the growth of
sugar
and tea plantations. Following World War II, officials
introduced
coffee cultivation to bolster declining export revenues,
and
coffee soon earned more than half of Uganda's export
earnings.
Uganda enjoyed a strong and stable economy in the years
approaching independence. Agriculture was the dominant
activity,
but the expanding manufacturing sector appeared capable of
increasing its contribution to GDP, especially through the
production of foodstuffs and textiles. Some valuable
minerals,
notably copper, had been discovered, and water power
resources
were substantial. In 1967 Uganda and the neighboring
countries of
Kenya and Tanzania joined together to form the East
African
Community (EAC), hoping to create a common market and
share the
cost of transport and banking facilities, and Uganda
registered
impressive growth rates for the first eight years after
independence.
The economy deteriorated under the rule of President
Idi Amin
Dada from 1971 to 1979. Amin used nationalist, militarist
rhetoric and ill-chosen economic policies to eliminate
foreign
economic interests and build up the military
establishment. In
1972 he expelled holders of British passports, including
approximately 70,000 Asians of Indian and Pakistani
descent. Many
Asians had been active in agribusiness, manufacturing, and
commerce. Their mass expulsion and Amin's efforts to
expropriate
foreign businesses undermined investor confidence in
Uganda. Amin
also increased public expenditures on military goods, a
practice
that contributed to escalating foreign and domestic debt
during
the 1970s. Relations with Uganda's neighbors soured, the
EAC
disbanded in 1977, and Tanzanian troops finally led a
joint
effort to overthrow the unpopular Amin regime in 1979. By
1980
the economy was nearly destroyed.
Following Amin's departure, successive governments
attempted
to restore international confidence in the economy through
a
mixture of development plans and austere government
budgets.
Beginning in 1980, the second government of Milton Obote
obtained
foreign donor support, primarily from the International
Monetary
Fund
(
IMF--see Glossary), by floating the Uganda shilling
(USh; for value of the
Uganda shilling--see Glossary), removing price
controls, increasing agricultural producer prices, and
setting
strict limits on government expenditures. In addition,
Obote
tried to persuade foreign companies to return to their
former
premises, which had been nationalized under Amin. These
recovery
initiatives created real growth in agriculture between
1980 and
1983. The lack of foreign exchange was a major constraint
on
government efforts, however, and it became a critical
problem in
1984 when the IMF ended its support following a
disagreement over
budget policy. During the brief regime of Tito Lutwa
Okello in
1985, the economy slipped almost out of control as civil
war
extended across the country.
After seizing power in January 1986, the new NRM
government
published a political manifesto that had been drawn up
when the
NRM was an army of antigovernment rebels
(see The Ten-Point Program
, ch. 4). Several points in the Ten-Point Program
emphasized the importance of economic development,
declaring that
an independent, self-sustaining national economy was vital
to
protect Uganda's interests. The manifesto also set out
specific
goals for achieving this self-sufficiency: diversifying
agricultural exports and developing industries that used
local
raw materials to manufacture products necessary for
development.
The Ten-Point Program also set out other economic goals:
to
improve basic social services, such as water, health care,
and
housing; to improve literacy skills nationwide; to
eliminate
corruption, especially in government; to return
expropriated land
to its rightful Ugandan owners; to raise public-sector
salaries;
to strengthen regional ties and develop markets among East
African nations; and to maintain a mixed economy combining
private ownership with an active government sector.
The NRM government proposed a major Rehabilitation and
Development Plan (RDP) for fiscal years
(
FY--see Glossary) 1987-88 through 1990-91, with IMF
support; it then devalued the
shilling and committed itself to budgetary restraint. The
fouryear plan set out primarily to stabilize the economy and
promote
economic growth. More specific goals were to reduce
Uganda's
dependence on external assistance, diversify agricultural
exports, and encourage the growth of the private sector
through
new credit policies. Setting these priorities helped
improve
Uganda's credentials with international aid organizations
and
donor countries of the West, but in the first three years
of
Museveni's rule, coffee production remained the only
economic
activity inside Uganda to display consistent growth and
resilience. When coffee-producing nations failed to reach
an
agreement on prices for coffee exports in 1989, Uganda
faced
devastating losses in export earnings and sought increased
international assistance to stave off economic collapse.
Data as of December 1990
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Background | | The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections. In January 2009, Uganda assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.
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Location | | Eastern Africa, west of Kenya
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Area(sq km) | | total: 241,038 sq km
land: 197,100 sq km
water: 43,938 sq km
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Geographic coordinates | | 1 00 N, 32 00 E
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Land boundaries(km) | | total: 2,698 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km
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Coastline(km) | | 0 km (landlocked)
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Climate | | tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast
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Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m
highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m
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Natural resources | | copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land, gold
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Land use(%) | | arable land: 21.57%
permanent crops: 8.92%
other: 69.51% (2005)
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Irrigated land(sq km) | | 90 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 66 cu km (1970)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 0.3 cu km/yr (43%/17%/40%)
per capita: 10 cu m/yr (2002)
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Natural hazards | | NA
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Environment - current issues | | draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; widespread poaching
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Environment - international agreements | | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
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Geography - note | | landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers
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Population | | 32,369,558
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 50% (male 8,152,830/female 8,034,366)
15-64 years: 47.9% (male 7,789,209/female 7,703,143)
65 years and over: 2.1% (male 286,693/female 403,317) (2009 est.)
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Median age(years) | | total: 15 years
male: 14.9 years
female: 15.1 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate(%) | | 2.692% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 47.84 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 12.09 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | -8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 13% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 64.82 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 68.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 61.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 52.72 years
male: 51.66 years
female: 53.81 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 6.77 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Ugandan(s)
adjective: Ugandan
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Ethnic groups(%) | | Baganda 16.9%, Banyakole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%, Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Bunyoro 2.7%, other 29.6% (2002 census)
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Religions(%) | | Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42% (Anglican 35.9%, Pentecostal 4.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.5%), Muslim 12.1%, other 3.1%, none 0.9% (2002 census)
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Languages(%) | | English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic
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Country name | | conventional long form: Republic of Uganda
conventional short form: Uganda
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Government type | | republic
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Capital | | name: Kampala
geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 25 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions | | 80 districts; Abim, Adjumani, Amolatar, Amuria, Amuru, Apac, Arua, Budaka, Bududa, Bugiri, Bukedea, Bukwa, Bulisa, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Butaleja, Dokolo, Gulu, Hoima, Ibanda, Iganga, Isingiro, Jinja, Kaabong, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kaliro, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kiruhara, Kisoro, Kitgum, Koboko, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Lyantonde, Manafwa, Maracha, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Mityana, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakaseke, Nakasongola, Namutumba, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Oyam, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe
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Constitution | | 8 October 1995; amended in 2005
note: the amendments in 2005 removed presidential term limits and legalized a multiparty political system
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Legal system | | in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch | | chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); Prime Minister Apolo NSIBAMBI (since 5 April 1999); note - the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators
elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in February 2011)
election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 59.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 37.4%, other 3.3%
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Legislative branch | | unicameral National Assembly (332 seats; 215 members elected by popular vote, 104 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 79, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 13 ex officio members; serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in February 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NRM 205, FDC 37, UPC 9, DP 8, CP 1, JEEMA 1, independents 37, other 34
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Judicial branch | | Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the president)
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | Lord's Resistance Army or LRA [Joseph KONY]; Young Parliamentary Association [Henry BANYENZAKI]; Parliamentary Advocacy Forum or PAFO; National Association of Women Organizations in Uganda or NAWOU [Florence NEKYON]; The Ugandan Coalition for Political Accountability to Women or COPAW
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International organization participation | | AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Flag description | | six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side
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Economy - overview | | Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, sizable mineral deposits of copper, cobalt, gold, and other minerals, and recently discovered oil. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Growth continues to be solid, despite variability in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export, and a consistent upturn in Uganda's export markets. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $40.08 billion (2008 est.)
$37 billion (2007 est.)
$34.21 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $14.57 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 8.3% (2008 est.)
8.2% (2007 est.)
7.1% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $1,300 (2008 est.)
$1,200 (2007 est.)
$1,200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 21.5%
industry: 24.6%
services: 53.9% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 14.54 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 82%
industry: 5%
services: 13% (1999 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | NA%
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 35% (2001 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 34.1% (2005)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 45.7 (2002)
37.4 (1996)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 23.2% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $2.621 billion
expenditures: $2.939 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 12.1% (2008 est.)
6.1% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $1.488 billion (31 December 2008)
$1.347 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $1.485 billion (31 December 2008)
$1.258 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $1.464 billion (31 December 2008)
$640.3 million (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA (31 December 2008)
$NA (31 December 2007)
$116.3 million (31 December 2006)
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Economic aid - recipient | | $1.198 billion (2005)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 18.8% of GDP (2008 est.)
73.9% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry
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Industries | | sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 7% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | -$1.088 billion (2008 est.)
-$744.7 million (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $2.688 billion (2008 est.)
$1.686 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products; gold
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Exports - partners(%) | | Sudan 14.3%, Kenya 9.5%, Switzerland 9%, Rwanda 7.9%, UAE 7.4%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 7.3%, UK 6.9%, Netherlands 4.7%, Germany 4.4% (2008)
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Imports | | $3.98 billion (2008 est.)
$2.983 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals
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Imports - partners(%) | | UAE 11.4%, Kenya 11.3%, India 10.4%, China 8.1%, South Africa 6.7%, Japan 5.9% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $2.301 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$2.56 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $1.835 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$1.498 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $NA
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $NA
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Exchange rates | | Ugandan shillings (UGX) per US dollar - 1,658.1 (2008 est.), 1,685.8 (2007), 1,834.9 (2006), 1,780.7 (2005), 1,810.3 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | Ugandan shilling (UGX)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 168,500 (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 8.555 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: seriously inadequate; mobile cellular service is increasing rapidly, but the number of main lines is still deficient; e-mail and Internet services are available
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile-cellular systems for short-range traffic
international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania
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Internet country code | | .ug
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Internet users | | 2.5 million (2008)
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Airports | | 35 (2009)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 70,746 km
paved: 16,272 km
unpaved: 54,474 km (2003)
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Ports and terminals | | Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell
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Military branches | | Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF): Army (includes Marine Unit), Air Force (2007)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18-26 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; 18-30 years of age for professionals; 9-year service obligation; the government has stated that recruitment below 18 years of age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"; Ugandan citizenship and secondary education required (2009)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 6,532,894
females age 16-49: 6,352,416 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 3,996,597
females age 16-49: 3,899,717 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 399,134
female: 395,505 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 2.2% of GDP (2006)
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Disputes - international | | Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces that extend across its borders; Uganda hosts 209,860 Sudanese, 27,560 Congolese, and 19,710 Rwandan refugees, while Ugandan refugees as well as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) seek shelter in southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Garamba National Park; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border
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Refugees and internally displaced persons | | refugees (country of origin): 215,700 (Sudan); 28,880 (Democratic Republic of Congo); 24,900 (Rwanda)
IDPs: 1.27 million (350,000 IDPs returned in 2006 following ongoing peace talks between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda) (2007)
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 2.256 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 0.9%
hydro: 99.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 2.068 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 30 million kWh (2007)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | bbl/day NA
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 13,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 13,090 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 5.4% (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 940,000 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | 77,000 (2007 est.)
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Major infectious diseases | | degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.8%
male: 76.8%
female: 57.7% (2002 census)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 10 years
male: 11 years
female: 10 years (2004)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 5.2% of GDP (2004)
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