Group photograph of delegates at the Cattle Corridor validation workshop, held on 11 September 2025 at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Kampala. Photo credit: Mathew Kariisa, Senior Communications Officer, Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE).
By Jackline Ayesiza
On 11th September 2025, the Government of Uganda convened a full-day hybrid validation workshop at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Kampala, to endorse the design of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded project: “Fostering Water Security and Catchment Resilience in Uganda’s Cattle Corridor.” The high-level meeting brought together senior government officials, district leaders, development partners, researchers, civil society and private sector representatives to review the project’s theory of change, results framework and implementation approach.
The Cattle Corridor covers 84,000 km² about 43% of Uganda’s dryland belt and is the country’s livestock heartland, supporting 90% of cattle and millions of people through pastoral and smallholder systems. While central to food security and livelihoods, the region faces mounting climate risks, including rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, flash floods and land degradation from deforestation and soil erosion. These pressures, echoing wider East African trends, threaten water and food systems and intensify competition for resources. “The Cattle Corridor feeds the nation, but without urgent action, climate pressures could break this vital backbone,” a district official warned.
The project seeks to translate global climate finance into tangible resilience measures across multiple districts. It is financed through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), with an approved grant of USD 7.6 million and an additional USD 54.77 million in co-financing from implementing partners and national stakeholders. Conservation International serves as the implementing partner, the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) is the executing entity, and the Africa Innovations Institute (AfrII) acts as the key delivery partner.
AfrII’s district-level consultations in Mityana, Rakai, Kole, Pader and Kitgum shaped the project’s multi-faceted architecture, ensuring local priorities drive inclusive, gender-responsive interventions
The Cattle Corridor project is built on a multi-faceted framework that integrates climate-resilient water systems including gravity flow schemes, solar mini-piped networks, boreholes, and rainwater harvesting with sustainable livelihoods through climate-smart agriculture drought-tolerant crops, agroforestry and rangeland restoration. It further promotes value-chain development to boost incomes, aligns interventions with national policies such as Vision 2040 and the NDCs; and strengthens inclusive coordination through stakeholder platforms, gender-responsive engagements and knowledge management.
In his keynote address, Dr. Alfred Okidi, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water and Environment positioned the validation of the Cattle Corridor project as a cornerstone of Uganda’s national strategy to ensure universal access to safe water, emphasizing a shift from fragmented water initiatives to integrated landscape-level approaches, he further highlighted integrated water solutions to sustain flows and productivity.
The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED)’s Climate Finance Unit; emphasized that the LDCF grant must be strategically leveraged to unlock additional public, private and donor co-financing, seamlessly integrated into national financial systems to maximize impact.
Delegates underscored that the project’s significance extends beyond its headline funding, positioning it as a vital element of Uganda’s broader climate finance pipeline and national resilience strategy. This aligns with the country’s macroeconomic planning and its reported 6% economic growth for FY2023/24, which planners noted creates an opportune moment for timely and impactful resilience investments to safeguard the Cattle Corridor’s economic and environmental future.
Meave Omuruli the Manager, GEF Project Support, Africa from Conservation International outlined critical project milestones: the Project Preparation Grant (PPG) will be cleared by Conservation International on October 24, 2025, with the PPG package submitted to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) by October 30, 2025, followed by GEF’s review and clearance of the Project Identification Form (PIF) package between November 1, 2025 and May 19, 2026 and full implementation set to begin on May 20, 2026
Delegates engaged in group discussions on the project’s key components during the validation workshop. Photo credit: Mathew Kariisa, Senior Communications Officer, Ministry of Water and Environment
The validation workshop featured candid, technical discussions that refined the Cattle Corridor project strategy. District leaders stressed sustained financing and local capacity for water system maintenance, while civil society pushed for gender-responsive designs prioritizing women and youth. Researchers urged robust baseline data and monitoring and private sector voices highlighted sustainable business models via value-chain enhancements. The inputs are for strengthening the project’s Theory of Change and risk register that will enhance infrastructure sustainability, governance and conflict mitigation.
Workshop delegates outlined critical next steps, including finalizing the project document and CEO endorsement package, establishing district implementation units, securing co-financing, developing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan and launching pilot interventions in priority landscapes. They also identified key risks such as delays in co-finance mobilization, inadequate maintenance frameworks and potential land-use conflicts, proposing mitigation measures like community maintenance funds and grievance mechanisms.
“This project is about people, dignity and Uganda’s future,” a participant emphasized, highlighting its transformative potential. Success will be measured by improved water access for thousands of households, restored rangelands that enhance pasture and biodiversity and stronger policy alignment integrating local adaptation into national frameworks creating a scalable model for translating global climate finance into impactful local outcomes.
The author is the communications officer at Africa Innovations Institute.
