Coorganized by GSEF and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), a Training Programme for Local Leaders and Practitioners in Uganda and the East African Region took place between the 21st and 23rd of August in Kampala, Uganda. This training programme was part of the GSEF Training & Workshop Series - a series of regular capacity-building events aiming to identify common issues, share best practices, and allow knowledge exchange and partnership-building between practitioners, while taking into consideration the needs and context of each territory.

Over 60 participants among Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) stakeholders in the region joined this training and most of them found it informative and useful for their future manoeuvre to develop SSE in their country/city.

The Kampala Declaration Promoting the culture and practice of SSE in East Africa was also adopted to show the participants' determination in promoting the SSE in the region. 



The purposes of the training was twofold:

• Equip participants with a better understanding of the SSE, knowledge to better sustain and improve the economic and social conditions of their communities through SSE, competitiveness and contribution to local economic development. 
• Provide a space for networking and partnership-building between local and regional SSE practitioners, policymakers and representatives of international organizations, and allow for a better understanding of the role of SSE in the current development frameworks e.g. the UN 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 of the African Union based on knowledge gained at previous regional exchanges, seminars, workshops and academies. 

Mr. Joungyoul Kim (GSEF's Co-Chair) and Ms. Laurence Kwark (GSEF's Secretary General) also took this opportunity to pay courtesy calls to Ms. Rebecca Kadaga (Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda), Mr. Charles Mayiga (Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Buganda) and Mr. Erias Lukwago (Lord Mayor of Kampala). The Delegation of GSEF shared the GSEF vision during the meetings. They agreed to have further engagements to explore the practicability of the SSE on both city and national level, especially in terms of legal framework and introduction of relevant public policies.

The SSE training program for local leaders and practitioners in Uganda and the EAC region constituted a unique opportunity for policy makers, SSE practitioners, representation from NGOs and international organizations in the East African region to build a common understanding and advance the development of the social economy. A Kampala Declaration was also adopted to mark the participants' commitment toward this objective. Once their final text is ready for publication, it will be shared in here and submitted to the local council for future action.
 

Media & Resources

Photos of the event