By carefully considering each procurement decision, making responsible choices, and sourcing wisely for development projects, Uganda can secure a sustainable future
KAMPALA, Uganda, June 17, 2025/APO Group/ --
Forests account for 11.5% of Uganda's land and are vital to the nation's ecosystem. They provide timber, food, fuel, and medicines for many Ugandans. However, this green heart of Africa is facing a serious challenge.

In Uganda: procuring responsibly | Forest Stewardship Council (1)

In Uganda: procuring responsibly | Forest Stewardship Council (2)

In Uganda: procuring responsibly | Forest Stewardship Council (3)
In 2023 alone, Uganda lost 37.6 thousand hectares of its natural forests, according to Global Forest Watch. If this trend continues unchecked, it could lead to the disappearance of these essential natural forests in the coming decades, along with a wealth of irreplaceable biodiversity.
The impact of deforestation is deeply felt by local communities that rely on forests for their daily needs. For instance, Bangazi Edward, a resident of Buwala village in Jinja District, Eastern Uganda, highlights the growing pressure on the land: “We are having a problem with firewood because we have few trees, and the population is really big.” This situation underscores the urgent need for sustainable solutions.
Bold government policy
Fortunately, there is hope on the horizon. Uganda has recognized this danger and is taking action by enacting public policies and processes that promote sustainable public procurement. This strategic approach not only aims to preserve the environment but also enables the nation to meet its environmental and climate commitments.
Uganda aspires to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 12, particularly Target 12.7, which encourages sustainable public procurement practices in alignment with national policies and priorities. Lawrence Semakula, Accountant General in the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development said, “we have developed a national action plan for sustainable procurement, which we are integrating into the government procurement cycle.” This plan is meant to strengthen the inclusion of sustainability as a core part of public procurement and reduce environmental impacts of public development projects.
Responsible sourcing: a reality
As the nation rises to meet these challenges, it seeks to ensure that procurement is responsible and paves the way for a sustainable future.
One positive example of responsible procurement of wood for development in Uganda is Adrift Eco Lodge, an eco-conscious African lodge located near the Kalagala Falls on the Nile River in Eastern Uganda. Constructed using 70% FSC-certified timber sourced from the Busoga Forest Company (BFC), this eco-lodge demonstrates the possibilities of sustainable building practices. Leanne Haigh, Chief Executive Officer of Adrift, stated, “For us, it was a no-brainer about how we were going to build this property; procuring FSC sustainable wood was just part of that process.”
Scaling up sustainable sourcing in Uganda
Annah Agasha, Deputy Director of FSC Africa, believes the sustainable sourcing example in Uganda can be scaled. "Adrift's use of certified timber from Green Resources to build their ecolodge is a significant milestone," she says. "It demonstrates how businesses can contribute to sustainability while enhancing their own credentials. We aim to support them in showcasing this responsibility to their customers."
The Busoga Forestry Company Ltd. (BFC), a subsidiary of Green Resources AS, is dedicated to sustainable forest management and increasing the availability of responsibly sourced certified products in Uganda.
In 2019 and 2020, BFC obtained the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody certificate and Forest Management Certificates, respectively. The FSC-FM certificate ensures responsible forest management, while the FSC-COC certificate guarantees the traceability of responsibly sourced wood and products from the forest to the consumer.
Benefits of responsible sourcing
BFC's impact goes beyond just responsible sourcing. With approximately 900 employees, primarily from local communities, the company supports over 16,000 individuals, fostering economic stability.
Through social funding, BFC invests in essential infrastructure, including schools, clinics, and clean water solutions, significantly improving local living standards. Recognizing the importance of education, BFC offers bursary programs and training opportunities that empower individuals and promote community development. Furthermore, BFC champions gender equality, with 32% of its workforce being women in various roles from middle management to equipment operators.
David Kiyingi Nyimbwa, Commissioner of the Procurement Policy and Management Department at the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, believes that FSC certification can promote legal forestry and strengthen the registration of sustainable forestry companies. “With FSC, we believe we can work together to promote legal forests and help in the registration of potential and actual [sustainability wood product] providers,” says David Kiyingi Nyimbwa.
The advantages of responsible forestry extend beyond environmental benefits and lead to positive changes in the lives of local people. Uganda's economic development is greatly reliant on forests, and there is promise. By carefully considering each procurement decision, making responsible choices, and sourcing wisely for development projects, Uganda can secure a sustainable future.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Forest Stewardship Council.
I hope this guy is as good as he sound, he is a civil engineer and he used to be part of Oslo town planning.
no need to be an engeener to pick up the trash kkkk
You're right, one doesn't have to be an Eng. to be a mayor of a city but at least the new mayor's credentials and his previous experience will help to improve the basic infrastructure of the capital.
they say aqoon baa talisa and Eng. Warasame Yusuf Said has knowledge and background experience to do the job the way its supposed to be done in order to uplift the capital city to new heights and i pray to all mighty allah that he succeeds in this endeavour.
Unfortunately i believe he will be starting from pretty much scratch as i doubt the preceding mayor left behind any system of note because you had unfortunately people running the capital city who believe all you need to do the job was simply tarmac few roads. What happened in the last 10 yrs to setting up system of waste collection/disposal, post coding, street naming, Street Lightings etc.
It would have been nice to have made some headway's in all the aforesaid but as they say its better late than never.
@ayanle.
bro pick up garbage its not simple, hargueisa is big city.
yep but its the big elephant in the room here ! you can't pretend to have done something as hargeisa mayor
while the 2nd somali city in term of size is full of trash !
Trash over new road it is a simple matter of priority !
ayanle lets not forget that hargaisa is probably the cleanest somali city and that it is unclean compared to first world cities.
Morgan was not only a tribalist who attacked Somalilanders but he also attacked Hawyie. He hated any other then him self. Fact. See this
yea-yea,
It was civil war time every war lord done the same if not worst wthether usc ,snm or ssdf……..
LOL at mohamed ina darood, Snm where not war lords so stop getting your facts from daroodfacts.com
Tell them Kaboon…
SNM did not occupy any part of Somalia-Italia. We were fighting as two States and all the crime was committed by the clans of Somalia-Italia: SNM secured Somaliland Republic and stayed out of Somalia-Italia. They destroyed their own country and now wish to cry about it.
– Abogaalo
– XarBir Digir
– Majareer
– Mareerxaar
– Baroweyni(Pilot)
– Raxoweyn
Somalilander was destroyed by you people and then you destroyed your own country. No Somaliland fired a single bullet in Somalia-Federation aka Somalia-Italia.
They though they could mess with the mighty HAWIYE nation only to end up beating their weak chest for no reason lol.
Many aggressors tried to f@@k with us only to end up leaving with their tails behind their legs even including the worlds only superpower and now some of those we defeated longtime ago their sons are starting to beat their weak chest.
I GUESS SOME NEVER LEARN FROM HISTORY UNTIL ITS TOO LATE AND END UP RECEIVING A ASS WHOOPING THEMSELVES
Who knows what clan this guy comes from btw?
what a stupid question to ask.
Fake Nura, how low and disgusting can you get
Nura, I don't think it’s necessary to know his clan, but rather what he can deliver to help the city and its inhabitants. Hargeisans are eager for badly needed services and equal distribution of development projects. I believe Yusuf is an honest and descent man; someone who can deliver the promises he made for the people of Hargeisa during the campaign. That is all.
Hargeisa is metropolitan city where all the fabrics of Somaliland people reside, and it does not need a mayor from a certain tribe or group, but someone who knows what it takes to develop this neglected city since 1960, but destroyed what the people of this city have built in their own. I remember, the only building that they [former Somali governments] made in Hargeisa was and still is the current ministry of interior, and nothing else.
Let us all pray for the newly elected council will develop the landscape of Hargeisa with the meager tax collection from the mother who sells tomatoes in the street of Hargeisa and the small business that exists now. The target of this mayor and his team should be the business heavyweights of Hargeisa to pay the tax that they always evade or avoid to pay, and should be shared by the local government and the central government, at least to some extend [that is if we want to develop the city, and made a capital of Somaliland].
ignore the fake kayse. this guy is only mayor in sacad muse corner.
Welcome Hon Yusuf Warsame Said and good luck with your new role.Hargeisa is our capital and I hope you give it all the necessary attention to develop it and uplift it.
The new mayor has to outline his agenda and make the city annual budget public.Since he has lived in western world, he knows what the citizen of the city demands and he has to lead by good example.
Also I want to remind my fellow and beloved Landers that what folks like Kayse want to do is distract us from our mission to make this country great!
So lets focus extra hard on how we can make this Republic stronger we owe that much to our those who sacrificed so much for this day!
Every time they post a hateful comment, I want a Lander to put a comment with a solution to any problem we face in our nation. Every time they post some rubbish I want a Lander to post a new angle, a new idea of making what we currently have even stronger.
Lets use their hate to our advantage! Lets make it a challenge whoever can come up with the most gets a free $100 ( or whatever) gift card to the shop of their choosing etc….
I aslo Challenge Fa q@ @shawipress that instead of giving our enemies a voice on our media platforms that it once and for all prove its allegiance to Somaliland and its people by holding a online contest to its readers on how to make Somalilander better! Challenge our young and old from home and the diaspora to contribute meaningful ideas and then reward with acknowledgement on your site, perhaps even an interview! I DARE YOU! CAAARRRRR!
Lol@ part of Oslo town planning!. An African cannot get a job as a janitor in the city planning department of Osly. Alla maxaa masaakiinta been lagu maaweelinayaa. Maxay u qabtaan dalka madaxda la doortaa? Waxba. Waxay qurbajoogtu u tagaan dalka inay xoogaa ka soo lufluftaan ee dalka wax u qabo uma tagaan. Caasimaddu ma haysato, laydh, biyo iyo jidad fiican, kuddaafaddana lagama guro ( garbage disposal ). Bal wax kale yayba qabanee, kuddaafadda magaalada ha ka gureen, si aanay dadka caafimaadkood u saamayn.
I am not sure how often the Somaliland people who had a chance to run away the war and bettter themselves in Western countries rule in Somaliland. While others either fled to Refugee camps in Ethopia or stayed close by and have done so much for the country are unemployed . Someone has to run higher office in the country not coming from Europe or worked in Europe, but having very good experience and again people stayed in the country should be given priority, as they deserve more than others.
.Yusuf Warsame is the newly elected mayor of Hargeisa and he is the mayor to all Hargeisans. Let's give the guy a chance and see his work. Let’s stop these destructive clannish tendencies and build our country collectively. In particular, those so called Diaspora, who are so narrow minded and could not achieve anything worthwhile in the west. The only thing they spend their idle time is to talk about distractive clanism and the demise of our people and the peace and stability that we built for twenty years. Those against Somaliland are eagerly waiting the dissolution of Somaliland, but that will never happen “over my dead body”.
Please. Stop this nonsensical and empty rhetoric and strive to work for the good of Somaliland.
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