RTI International to Champion Political Accountability and Improved Service Delivery in Uganda

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – As part of efforts to help the Government of Uganda improve service delivery through local governments, the U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded RTI International a contract to help the central government and local governments improve accountability and empower citizen groups to monitor government performance.

Under the five-year, $17.7 million contract, RTI will provide technical assistance to local government officials and citizen groups in 25 districts across Uganda and to national agencies and the Ugandan parliament.

Called the “Governance, Accountability, Participation, and Performance” program, this USAID-funded effort aims to increase citizen participation in local governance, while also improving the performance and accountability of local governments.

The program will help increase transparency in procurement and financial management and put in place mechanisms for citizens to influence local government decision-making. It will also aim to increase the revenue flows from the central government and improve local government collections from their revenue sources. 

RTI international development experts will work alongside various bodies of parliament and national-level agencies to examine efficiencies and transparency in the audit and procurement processes. They will also help train the district governments on national-level policies and ways to strengthen local government capacity to implement laws related to fiscal and revenue management. To carry out these tasks, RTI will work closely with local organizations in Uganda, building their capacity to conduct policy research and provide assistance to communities.

“RTI International brings a deep understanding of local governance, civil society, and service delivery issues in Uganda,” said Eva Mulema, RTI’s chief of party. “This project will make a difference in people’s lives in many parts of the country.”

This project builds on RTI’s earlier work in Uganda from 2007 to 2011, where RTI led local government and civil society components of the USAID-funded Strengthening Democratic Linkages project. As part of the deliverables of that project, RTI facilitated dialogues in 10 target districts, bringing together local councilors, civil society organizations, and civil servants to discuss the importance of each actor in a decentralized system of governance. RTI carried out the interventions through Ugandan firms to build local capacity and promote sustainability.