David Otieno

Head of Programme, GIZ Uganda Broader Energy and Climate
Programme

Statement for the Knowledge Agenda for Uganda:

At GIZ, we believe that systematic capture, sharing, and use of knowledge enables the adaptation and scaling of successful practices across projects, regions, and periods. For nearly 60 years and across hundreds of projects and target communities in Uganda, the Germany-Uganda Development Cooperation has relied on numerous knowledge exchange systems to enhance project effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. We, along with our commissioning parties and partners, have continuously built on past experiences and generated new knowledge when implementing our various projects. This has enabled us to adapt and scale up some of our most successful practices while also learning valuable lessons from those that were less successful.

Therefore, as the main implementer of German Development Cooperation, acting on behalf of our various commissioning parties and partners, we must integrate knowledge management into our operational strategy to ensure not just sustainability but also value for money. We also leverage knowledge, information, and data to support the achievement of long-term development goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

At an operational level, GIZ works in an integrated manner that fosters learning, participatory planning, and aligned implementation internally and among our various stakeholders. This is through contribution to thematic working groups and sector networks that seek to collaboratively address subnational, national, and global challenges. These strategic engagements and partnerships further enable stakeholders to leverage each other’s experience, networks, and know-how to develop comprehensive solutions to some of Uganda’s most critical development challenges, contributing to a better future for all in Uganda.

While effective knowledge management comes with challenges, such as the need for meticulous data management and the difficulty of sharing timely information and insights with all teams and locations, proper planning, digitalization, and active engagement are available avenues to achieving the desired results.

Ultimately, robust knowledge management practices empower development organisations like GIZ to achieve their goals more effectively, driving sustainable progress and positive change. We, therefore, call for continued prioritization and investment in this area. We also urge all stakeholders to stay committed and collaborative to effectively utilize knowledge management for sustainable development.

Keywords: renewable energy, learning, participatory planning, thematic working groups, partnerships