In May 2024, Uganda hosted the first joint World Bank-Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) expert mission to conduct two assessments related to public debt: the Debt Management Performance Assessment (DeMPA) and the Public Debt Management Assessment Tool for Parliament (PDMAT).  

These tools were the basis for conducting the capacity of the Government of Uganda to manage its public debt and for the parliament to oversee public debt and public debt management, with an aim to ensure efficient oversight of public debt and as a result improve public service delivery in Uganda.  

According to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), Uganda’s public debt is estimated to be approximately Shs. 97.638 trillion (USD 25.716 billion). The debt to GDP ratio was projected at 53% in 2023/24 (IMF report). This is causing significant strain on public service delivery with 32% of the national budget now being spent on debt servicing costs.  

The mission was conducted jointly by a team of experts, comprising Lars Jessen, Lead Debt Specialist at the World Bank, and consultants Marie-Helene Le Manchec and Geoff Dubrow. As part of the assessment process, the experts led the presentations and participated in discussions on the DeMPA and PDMAT respectively.  

The team visited parliament and engaged the technical staff from the research and budget offices together with the staff from the National Economy, Budget, Finance and the various Public Accounts Committees. The experts shared the background and objective of the assessment. Geoff Dubrow, as an expert working at the nexus between parliament and Public Financial Management (PFM), led the assessment session based on the key indicators under PDMAT. This led to an understanding of how Uganda's parliament handles loans/borrowing and oversees public debt throughout the budget process. 

Additionally, the team also met with the chairpersons and vice chairpersons of the relevant committees to take them through the PDMAT to obtain their input. The session offered the opportunity to ask qualitative questions that were built upon the data provided by the parliamentary technical staff.  

On the final day, Geoff Dubrow presented the preliminary findings which set out several key areas for reform. They include: 

• Reform is needed to address the significant lag between the publication of the Auditor General's report and the submission of the Treasury Memorandum, and to ensure that action plans with specific timeframes for implementing recommendations are developed for improved accountability and timely responses.
• Consensus of the definition of "public debt''. Owing to lack of consensus on a clear definition, MoFPED, the Auditor General, and the Bank of Uganda (BoU) all have different figures when it comes to Uganda's debt, which is highly problematic for parliament, which must deliberate on, approve and oversight implementation of the budget. The MPs proposed an amendment to the constitution on the definition of public debt. The hope is that it can be introduced as a private member's bill.
• A need for the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) to play a more active role in analysing MoF’s macroeconomic forecasts and debt figures. Further reforms, such as publication of PBO reports and yet there is a need to have them as alternatives to the MoFPED reports.
• In scrutinizing draft loan agreements, the Committee on National Economy would benefit from a debt register, enabling informed decision-making regarding new debt obligations.
• A greater need for capacity building for MPs in the PAC committees and the Committee on National Economy and to better understand the complexities around debt. The MPs asked for WFD’s support in this. 

The three-day assessment meetings with the Parliament of Uganda were productive as they supplemented the initial findings of the assessment, which were based on data from four key data sources—The Open Budget Survey, the Debt Management Performance Assessment (DeMPA), the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) assessment, and the World Bank Debt Transparency Heat Map. The Parliament welcomed the use of the PDMAT, which they said would be good for their learning and accountability as an institution tasked with overseeing public debt management. They expressed their desire for tools such as this in the future and affirmed that the report’s recommendations would enrich the budget process. 

Geoff Dubrow will continue to engage parliament through the Department of Corporate Planning and Strategy (CPS) to validate some of the findings as he prepares the final report which will be later presented to parliament.