Indicators in this domain assess the extent to which migrants have the same status as citizens in terms of access to basic social services such as health, education, and social security. It also describes the rights of migrants to family reunification, to work, and to residency and citizenship. The ratification of the main international conventions is also included within this domain.
Indicators in this category look at the extent to which migrants have access to certain social services such as health, education and social security. They also examine measures to ensure integration and access to work.
Indicators in this domain assess countries’ institutional, legal, and regulatory frameworks related to migration policies. Domain 2 also reviews the existence of national migration strategies that are in-line with development, as well as institutional transparency and coherence in relation to migration management. This domain also investigates the extent to which governments collect and use migration data.
Indicators in this category assess the institutional frameworks of cities for migration. This area also examines the existence of migration strategies consistent with development objectives, as well as institutional transparency and coherence in migration management.
This domain focuses on countries’ efforts to cooperate on migration-related issues with other states and with relevant non-governmental actors, including civil society organizations and the private sector. Cooperation can lead to improvements in governance by aligning and raising standards, increasing dialogue and providing structures to overcome challenges.
Indicators in this category focus on cities’ efforts to cooperate on migration issues with the national government as well as other cities and relevant non-governmental actors, including civil society organizations and the private sector.
This domain includes indicators on countries’ policies for managing the socioeconomic well-being of migrants, through aspects such as the recognition of migrants’ educational and professional qualifications, provisions regulating student migration and the existence of bilateral labour agreements between countries. Indicators equally focus on policies and strategies related to diaspora engagement and migrant remittances.
Indicators in this category assess cities’ initiatives in terms of international student mobility, access to the labour market and decent working conditions for migrant workers. Aspects related to diaspora engagement and migrant remittances are also included in this domain.
This domain studies the type and level of preparedness of countries when they are faced with mobility dimensions of crises, linked to either disasters, the environment and/or conflict. The questions are used to identify the processes in place for nationals and non-nationals both during and after disasters, including whether humanitarian assistance is equally available to migrants as it is to citizens.
Indicators in this category examine the type and level of readiness of cities to deal with aspects of mobility crises. The questions focus on the processes in place for citizens and non-citizens both during and after disasters, especially if humanitarian assistance is available for migrants and citizens.
This domain analyses countries’ approach to migration management in terms of border control and enforcement policies, admission criteria for migrants, preparedness and resilience in the case of significant and unexpected migration flows, as well as the fight against trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants. It also assesses efforts and incentives to help integrate returning citizens.
Indicators in this category look at the cities’ approaches to migrant safety as well as return and reintegration policies and the fight against trafficking in persons.
This country Profile describes examples of well-developed areas of the Republic of Uganda’s governance structures and areas with potential for further development, as evaluated through the six domains of the Migration Governance Indicators (MGI). These address migrants’ rights, a “whole-of-government” approach, partnerships, socioeconomic well-being of migrants, the mobility dimensions of crises, and safe and orderly migration.
Click the icons on the wheel to explore the key findings.
The Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) initiative is a policy-benchmarking programme led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and implemented with research and analysis from the Economist Impact. Funding is provided by IOM Member States.
Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas
- Uganda's Health Strategic Plan (2020/21–2024/25) prioritizes ensuring that migrants, along with nationals, have equitable access to public health-care services, in line with the goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage.
- All migrants, regardless of their status, have equal access as citizens of Uganda to both primary and secondary education.
- All children born in Uganda receive birth certificates, regardless of nationality of parents, as mandated by Section 4 of the Children Act (1997).
Areas with potential for further development
- Uganda does not have bilateral agreements on the portability of social security benefits and entitlements with other countries.
- Limited civil registration services are extended to migrants without legal proof of identity in Uganda.
- There is no specific strategy for addressing hate crimes, violence, xenophobia, and discrimination against migrants.
Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas
- The National Coordination Mechanism on Migration(2015) coordinates migration initiatives at the local, national, regional and international levels by steering migration debates and dialogue.
- The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control oversees immigration policies, border management, passport issuance, and citizenship verification in Uganda, guided by the Citizenship and Immigration Control Act (2009) and the East African Community One Stop Border Posts Act of 2016.
- The Uganda Bureau of Statistics regularly collect and publish disaggregated migration data through administrative data, periodic surveys, and the national census.
Areas with potential for further development
- As of August 2023, Uganda is in the process of developing a national migration policy to guide internal, regional, and international migration, with the support of a dedicated Technical Working Group.
- Uganda lacks specific emigration legislation; the Citizenship and Immigration Control Act (2009) focuses on border control, exit measures, and deportation without explicitly addressing emigration.
- Local authorities occasionally engage in National Coordination Mechanism on Migration discussions.
Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas
- Uganda actively engages in regional consultative processes such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) .
- Uganda is also part of the EAC Common Market Protocol (2010), which aligns with the EAC Treaty, establishing the right to free movement of persons and labor across member states' borders.
- Members from the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration include civil society, migrant associations, academia, and labor agencies, state-owned entities, and respective ministries.
- Uganda is engaged in bilateral migration discussions with the Burundi, Rwanda, South Africa, and United Republic of Tanzania, as of August 2023.
Areas with potential for further development
- Uganda lacks a formal government framework for private sector engagement in migration policy. Ad hoc consultations occur, but limited direct engagement exists.
Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas
- As a member of the East African Community (EAC), Uganda implements the EAC Qualifications Framework for Higher Education(2010), fostering mutual recognition of academic and professional qualifications among partner states under the EAC Common Market Protocol.
- The Government of Uganda has several bilateral labor agreements, including ones with Saudi Arabia (2015, amended in 2017), Jordan(2017) and the United Arab Emirates(2019) to enhance welfare, protect rights, and establish legal frameworks for labor migration.
- The Employment Act (2006) and Section 25 of the Constitution of Uganda (1995) promote the ethical recruitment of migrant workers, including provisions to prohibit forced labor, safeguard workers' rights, and protect children from any form of employment.
Areas with potential for further development
- Uganda does not have a national assessment for monitoring the labour market demand for immigrants or the domestic labour supply and the impact of emigration on the domestic labour market.
- The government of Uganda is not actively involved in promoting the creation of formal remittance schemes.
Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas
- Uganda actively engages in regional frameworks like the Kampala Convention (2009) and East African Community Climate Change Policy (2015) to address climate-induced migration and internal displacement.
- The Disaster Preparedness and Management (2010) guides disaster management with specific provisions for displacement, requiring swift relief and assistance, implementation of the Kampala Convention.
- The Directorate of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management established National Emergency Coordination and Operations Centre in 2014, which serves as a central facility for early warning, emergency coordination, and crisis response, and disseminating crucial information for effective responses.
Areas with potential for further development
- Uganda lacks a harmonized emergency management framework that address the needs of migrants before, during and after emergencies and disasters.
- There is no policy or strategy to promote sustainable reintegration of migrants who fled the country during a crisis.
Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas
- The Anti-Human Trafficking National Action Plan 2019–2024 (2020) includes specific measures on enforcement of laws in deterring and preventing human trafficking, victim support, and stakeholder coordination.
- Border staff undergo a mandatory six-month training at the the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, and the Immigration Training Academy in Nakasongola, Uganda.
- The Country has legislations in place to combat the exploitation of workers such including provision for protection against slavery, servitude, and forced labour, which extend to to migrant workers.
- Migrant children in Uganda are safeguarded under the National Child Policy (2020), which prioritizes community empowerment and protection for vulnerable groups, including refugees and internally displaced children.
Areas with potential for further development
- There is no formal government programme or dedicated policy that facilitates the reintegration of returning migrants.
- The establishment of formal cooperation agreements to to prevent and counter the smuggling of migrants, outside of international conventions, is an area for development.
- Uganda does not have systems or formal cooperation agreements with other countries to trace and identify missing migrants within the national territory.
2023 August
