The overall objectives of the 3-day working session were two-fold 1) for key actors to share information on plans related to a national Blended Finance Mechanism for solar irrigation systems, solar dryers and agroforestry in Uganda; 2) to agree on how to collaborate and consolidate technical resources and proposals for impact, where the NDC Action Project can both convene and lead multi-stakeholder efforts.
The three days were structured as follows:
- 1st day dedicated to NTI / NPC / UNEP, Ministry of Water and Environment for internal discussion on plan for blended finance mechanism
- 2nd day brought together relevant partners e.g. GIZ, GGGI, and UNDP; relevant government ministries (ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Energy), banks (MSC, UDB, Commercial banks, etc); & private sector actors engaged in priority areas to share information and plans, invite feedback on the NDC Action project proposals. Possibly agree on collaborations / partnerships.
- 3rd day: presentation of discussions and plans to higher level officials, and all participants in the first two days, agreed next steps in plenary
The following next steps were discussed and agreed in plenary in the final day:
- MWE requests the Min. Finance to designate an officer to join the Technical Working Group meetings for the NDC Action Project (chaired by NTI) by 15 May 2023.
- NTI leads the Technical Working Group to revise the NTI’s report (May 2023) on “Developing Investment Plans for solar irrigation, Agroforestry and Solar Dryers: State of Work Report”, incorporating summary of consensus points, feedback and questions raised during the internal and stakeholder meetings 8-10 May. Based on this, NTI to deliver first draft ‘concept note’ for operationalisation of the Blended Finance Tool (output 3.2) to UNEP and UNEP-CCC for internal feedback. UNEP and UNEP-CCC to provide feedback by 31 May 2023.
- NTI to submit the revised document and draft concept note to the MWE by 15 June 2023, to approve and then MWE share with colleagues at the Climate Finance Unit at the Ministry of Finance. MWE to review and approve by 15 July 2023
- MWE requests the Min. Finance to designate an officer to attend Technical Working Group meetings, to be convened by the NTI by 15 July 2023. NTI to lead strategic mapping of stakeholders, for ongoing (bilateral) consultation and feedback on the concept note (within max. 3 months)
- Technical working group (NTI/UNEP/MWE/Finance) to present concept note to parliamentary, donor and development community to secure political buy-in and further support for the project concept note.
