Uganda Questions and Answers

Updated April 9, 2020

What will the Foundation’s focus be in Uganda through Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program?

In the short-term the Foundation will:

• Work closely with key stakeholders and sector leaders to understand the impact and determine the best possible immediate responses or interventions that are needed.
• Support Young Africa Works implementation partners to adapt to working remotely and using the time to accomplish activities that are easier to perform while at home/in small groups.
• Support Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) in its effort to mobilize public and private sector response to prevent COVID-19’s negative impact on the economy.
• Identify and implement feasible interventions (access to finance, business shock support clinics, etc.) that can promote the resilience of SMEs.
• Identify emerging opportunities that may significantly contribute to economic growth and youth employment.
• Factor in COVID-19 implications while developing programs in the pipeline.

In the medium-term the Foundation will:

• Assess the impact of COVID-19 on the implementation of Young Africa Works in Uganda and develop a mitigation plan, particularly for MSMEs.
• Support the development of a post-pandemic economic recovery strategy.
• Support digitization to ensure efficiency and inclusion in education and skills, and access to finance and marketing.
• Assess the impact of the pandemic on refugee youth and support youth-led organizations through a fund manager.

In the long-term the Foundation will:

• Determine how the private sector catalytic fund can integrate support to MSMEs in events of economic shock caused by incidents such as COVID-19.
• Create a country mechanism that will help the Foundation become relevant and be part of the national mitigation effort for future unforeseen shocks.