The African Policy Dialogue on women’s entrepreneurship and social protection in Uganda has published a Policy Brief on government’s financing of social protection initiatives’. The key messages from the Policy Brief are as follows.

• Vulnerabilities within the Ugandan economy are many and females are at a higher disadvantage.
• The government of Uganda has recognized the importance of social protection, this has not been prioritised in financial allocation.
• Despite increase in expenditure allocations to domestic development in social sectors, the finances allocated to Social Protection by government are still very low for the programmes to achieve social inclusiveness nationally.
• Social assistance through the Direct Income Support to elderly persons above 60 years takes the highest share of social protection budget.
• Local Government support and coordination to social development activities are ineffective

Policy recommendations

• Increase funding to Local Government social development activities.
• Strengthen Local Government structures to undertake its social support mandate at grassroots.
• Use multifaceted interventions involving both state and non-state actors to address various vulnerabilities within different social groups.
• Create awareness among the stakeholders especially in the informal sector to ensure that social protection programmes are include workers in the informal sector and those in rural areas.