By Zoomer Africa Editorial

Uganda has earned praise from the World Bank for maintaining strong economic growth and macroeconomic stability, but the institution has raised concern that the country’s progress is not yet being felt strongly enough in the daily lives of ordinary citizens.

The message was delivered during a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the 2026 World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, where Uganda’s delegation, led by State Minister for Finance Henry Musasizi, met World Bank Africa Vice President Ndiame Diop. Uganda’s team also included Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi and Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka.

During the discussions, the World Bank commended Uganda for preserving macroeconomic stability but stressed that growth must now produce more meaningful results for households through better jobs, stronger incomes and a sharper reduction in poverty. The Bank’s position reflects a wider concern often raised across developing economies: headline growth figures mean little if they do not improve livelihoods at the grassroots level.

The Bank also praised Uganda for continuing to host one of Africa’s largest refugee populations and signaled readiness to support the country’s refugee response through additional programming. Uganda is hosting roughly two million refugees and asylum seekers, a burden that continues to place pressure on public services and local communities.

At the same time, the World Bank called for improved efficiency in project implementation and faster disbursement of funds, noting that several Bank-funded projects in Uganda have underperformed. Among the projects discussed was the INVITE programme, an initiative designed to support industrial transformation and employment, whose export guarantee scheme is now being reviewed, with recommendations that it be restructured to better serve intended beneficiaries.

Uganda and the World Bank also held talks on reforms needed in the energy sector to improve performance and unlock wider economic gains. These discussions come as the World Bank’s portfolio in Uganda continues to expand, rising from about $3.9 billion in March 2025 to about $4.74 billion across 18 active projects and programmes.

For its part, the Ugandan government said the economy has remained resilient despite a difficult global environment. Musasizi told the meetings that Uganda’s GDP growth currently stands at 6.3 percent, with projections of between 6.5 percent and 7 percent by the end of the financial year, and the possibility of double-digit growth in the medium term. He said this path supports the government’s ambition of expanding the economy tenfold by 2040.

Uganda also used the meeting to lobby for more World Bank support for strategic infrastructure projects, including the Standard Gauge Railway, hydropower development, urban infrastructure, drainage and waste management, transmission lines and substations, and private-sector financing, especially access to credit. The government further welcomed recently approved support for municipal infrastructure and water management, while pushing for new backing for roads and electricity projects.

In separate engagements, Uganda’s delegation also met officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency to discuss financing for projects such as the Kampala Flyover and the Kampala Metropolitan Electricity Transmission System Improvement Project, both seen as important to easing infrastructure bottlenecks in and around the capital.

The World Bank’s message to Uganda is clear: economic growth on paper is important, but the real test lies in whether that growth creates jobs, lowers poverty, strengthens communities and improves life for ordinary citizens. For Uganda, the next phase of development will not only be judged by how fast the economy grows, but by how widely the benefits are shared.

The write is political analysis at Zoomer Africa and C.E.O at Vision for Africa 2026 Africa let's Unite it's time.