NEMA Empowers District Leaders on Environmental Mainstreaming.

On 8th April, 2026 The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) convened a centralised training on Mainstreaming Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) into District Development Planning and Budgeting. 

The training that was held in Kampala at Hotel 360 Degrees, Makindye Ssabagabo, Wakiso District was opened by the NEMA Executive Director, Dr. Barirega Akankwasah, attracting District Chief Administrative Officers, Economic Planners, Environment Officers, and Natural Resource Officers from Northern Uganda to a tune of 48 participants.

According to the statement released on Wednesday, the training was convened in response to growing environmental pressures across districts, including land degradation, wetland encroachment, and the increasing impacts of climate change, which continue to strain local development efforts. It also followed the need to strengthen alignment between national environmental priorities and district-level planning and budgeting processes.

“The objective of the engagement was to strengthen the integration of Environment and Natural Resources Management into District Development Plans, sector work plans, and annual budgets; identify priority actions; and develop practical solutions to environmental challenges for sustainable, climate-resilient development” partly reads the statement.

Participants engaged in technical sessions on policy, legal, and institutional frameworks for ENRM integration, as well as the use of Programme-Based Budgeting to finance environmental priorities. Facilitators from the Ministry of Water and Environment, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and NEMA guided discussions on practical approaches to improving environmental governance at the district level.

The training also provided a platform for participants to share district-specific environmental challenges, agree on priority actions, and explore workable solutions. Emphasis was placed on the use of the Environmental Licensing and Management Information System (ELMIS) to support informed decision-making.

NEMA reaffirms its commitment to supporting districts to embed environmental sustainability in planning and budgeting processes as a pathway to inclusive and resilient growth