Government Urged to Take Lead Role in ESG Implementation

The government of Uganda has been called upon to take a central role in driving Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices across all sectors, as private institutions alone cannot shoulder the burden of sustainable development. This call to action was made by Bangi David, CEO of Uganda Microcredit Foundation (UMF), during the Abi Finance ESG training at Fairway Hotel in Kampala.

David stated that without full support from state agencies, the efforts of private entities like UMF, would have limited impact.

“We believe on our own as UMF, we cannot do much if the government has not fully supported this campaign,” he emphasized.

He warned that many environmental challenges stem from policy decisions driven by political or economic interests, often at the expense of environmental sustainability.

He said this Pointing to the construction of the Northern Bypass, which was built through a wetland to reduce project costs, leading to significant flooding in the area like the recent flooding along the Northern bypass

He also criticized the situation along Mityana Road at Shell Bulenga, where large mounds of soil have been left along the road.

“The government is aware of this, even NEMA as a government body is aware, but everyone is quiet about it,” he said.

According to David, the government must go beyond policy documents and integrate ESG considerations into every level of public decision-making. “We need to see government policies designed to support ESG and all government bodies having ESG embedded in their decisions, such that political or economic decisions are made after conducting environmental impact assessments,” he said.

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