Business 29 April 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Uganda's Public Procurement Portal Sees Sharp Drop in Infrastructure Data Reporting
Uganda's Government Procurement Portal, once a leader in open contracting across Africa, has experienced a drastic decline in infrastructure project disclosures, with only six projects worth Shs213 billion reported in 2025 and none so far this year. This trend raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and public trust in government spending amid persistent infrastructure financing challenges. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/business/markets/public-procurement-transparency-declines-as-public-infrastructure-data-goes-unreported--5441160
Uganda’s Government Procurement Portal (GPP) is facing a significant downturn in the reporting of public infrastructure projects, sparking worries over transparency and oversight of public funds.
In 2025, just six projects valued at Shs213 billion appeared on the portal, and no disclosures have been made in 2026 to date. This marks a stark contrast to earlier peaks, such as 2022 when 126 projects worth Shs3.4 trillion were shared after training procurement staff, and 2024’s 253 projects totaling Shs352 billion.
Jolly Violet from CoST Uganda highlighted Uganda’s past pioneering role as Africa’s first nation to adopt the Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard. She pointed to staff turnover, insufficient refresher training, weak policy enforcement, system integration issues, and poor internet access as key reasons for the lapse.
Aloysius Byaruhanga, PPDA’s director of performance monitoring, stressed the need for integrity in infrastructure investments crucial to Uganda’s economy, praising the portal’s upgrades as a step forward in digital procurement.
The slide coincides with Uganda’s $1.4 billion annual infrastructure funding gap and $300 million in yearly losses from inefficiencies, per World Bank estimates. Experts urge better enforcement, capacity building, and portal enhancements to restore leadership in transparency.
This article is based on a report from the Daily Monitor.