Oboth tasks leaders to deliver measurable climate change results

KAMPALA – UGANDA: The Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Markson Oboth, has warned that climate change is inflicting aggressive damage across Uganda and appealed to Ugandan leaders to do something about it.

“Let us stop trading statistics in boardrooms and start delivering measurable climate action,” he said.

Speaking today at the 3rd CEOs’ Breakfast Meeting and High-Level Dialogue on Green Economy and Environmental Sustainability, Oboth said environmental shocks are destroying livelihoods and infrastructure that took years to build.

Delivering the keynote address under the theme “Accelerating Uganda’s Green Economy Transition through Digital Transformation,” he pledged Parliament’s full backing for the laws, budgets and oversight needed for robust climate action.

The event took place at the UNICEF grounds in Mbuya and was organised by Youth Go Green founder Mr Edwin Muhumuza.

Speaker Oboth urged leaders to move beyond sitting for hours exchanging and consuming statistics, and guided that engagements such as this event should produce actionable and measurable resolutions.

Oboth cited global data showing that the eleven years from 2015 to 2025 were the warmest on record, with global temperatures in 2025 reaching about 1.44°C above pre-industrial levels.

In Uganda, he said, the consequences include more frequent landslides, rivers bursting their banks, unpredictable rainfall and prolonged droughts. He warned that recurrent floods and droughts threaten agriculture, wipe out rural livelihoods and derail national economic progress.

Framing the shift to a green economy as an economic necessity rather than a luxury, Oboth called for immediate investment in protecting forests and wetlands and restoring degraded land.

He observed that harnessing digital technologies for real-time environmental monitoring and resource management would expand renewable energy to power sustainable development.

The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change, Henry Aggrey Bagiire (Bunya County West), assured delegates that Parliament is ready to translate political intent into field-level results.

He revealed that Speaker Oboth had taken a firm stance in directing dedicated budget allocations specifically to the committee, enabling Members of Parliament to conduct thorough oversight and to collaborate directly with environmental stakeholders.

Addressing the core theme of digital transformation, Mr Fred Otunnu, Director of Corporate Affairs at the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), emphasised that while digital technology drives agricultural productivity and service delivery, the information and communications technology (ICT) sector must manage its own growing environmental impact.

“A recent UCC Carbon Footprint Study revealed that under business-as-usual operations, ICT energy consumption in Uganda could more than double by 2030. Globally, the ICT sector contributes nearly 4% of carbon emissions due to energy-intensive infrastructure, data centres and 5G expansion,” he said.

Coinciding with International E-Waste Day, marked on 14 October, Otunnu highlighted the grave environmental hazards of improper electronics disposal, including the leaching of dangerous heavy metals such as lead and mercury.

To counteract this, the UCC is launching Phase 2 of its national ICT e-waste collection project, which seeks to convert disposal challenges into circular economy opportunities in refurbishment, material recovery and green job creation.

Mr Sanusi Tejan Savage, Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM – UN Migration), stressed that digital and green solutions must benefit vulnerable populations, including refugees, migrants and rural communities.

He commended Uganda for pioneering the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change (KDMECC), an initiative launched by President Yoweri Museveni that has since expanded to 35 signatory nations across Africa.

He also called on delegates to participate in the upcoming SDG Run to turn dialogue into active movement.

Dr Robin Nandi, the UNICEF Country Representative to Uganda, highlighted Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 on clean water and sanitation as an essential foundation for inclusive climate resilience.

He outlined critical service gaps across the country, warning that water, sanitation and drought exposure remain major obstacles to that resilience.

Dr Nandi also challenged private sector chief executives to step up through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investments. He emphasised that smart water monitoring, digital payment infrastructure, solar-powered water systems and water-efficient irrigation represent high-yield business opportunities that simultaneously protect vulnerable communities.

The post Oboth tasks leaders to deliver measurable climate change results appeared first on UG Standard - Latest News .