Field office staff of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group in Uganda recently held a meeting with a World Bank mission to exchange ideas on the proposed agricultural sector-wide operation, which would follow the completion of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) and the Agricultural Research and Training Programmes supported by the World Bank and other development partners.

World Bank Lead Operations Officer and Mission Head, Christine Cornelius, informed UGFO that the proposed initiative was being identified as a sector-wide operation that would support the government's interventions in the agriculture sector beyond advisory services and research. Such an operation is based on priorities defined by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), which is currently devising its Development Strategy and Investment Plan (DSIP). Other development partners involved in the initiative will be DANIDA, IFAD, and the European Union, and the Bank Group had been requested to participate in the financing modality in Uganda. A key component of the project will be providing institutional support to MAAIF as a way of strengthening its capacity to deliver core public goods and services, including agricultural advisory services, agricultural research, regulatory services, agro-processing, value chains and market linkages as well as integrated rural knowledge and information systems.

Speaking during the meeting, the AfDB Uganda resident representative, Mukaila Ojelade, expressed appreciation for the level of collaboration between various development partners financing agricultural programmes and projects in Uganda. Mr. Ojelade briefed the mission on the status of Bank agricultural operations in Uganda, noting significant improvements in their implementation, especially after the opening of the AfDB field office in Uganda. He also pointed out that such a joint operation would further strengthen donor collaborative mechanisms in the sector and assured the mission of the Bank's willingness to participate as a co-financing partner. It was agreed that the final aide memoire will be shared with the Bank and bilateral discussions will continue regarding AfDB participation.