Locations
Karamoja farmers engage in a focus group discussion
Karamoja, East Africa — Along the vast, arid stretches of the Uganda-Kenya border, communities have long grappled with climate shocks, economic marginalization, and persistent insecurity. For generations, the agropastoralist communities of the Karamoja Cluster have relied on livestock herding, seasonal migration, and informal cross-border trade for survival. However, shifting climate patterns, dwindling resources, and frequent cattle raids have exacerbated vulnerabilities, leaving many communities caught in a cycle of poverty and conflict.
But a new initiative is challenging this trajectory.
The Karamoja ABC Scaling Facility, implemented under the UNDP Africa Borderlands Centre (ABC), is redefining resilience in one of Africa’s most fragile cross-border regions. Launched as a multi-sectoral, community-driven initiative, the program is fostering economic diversification, strengthening governance, and promoting climate resilience—creating new pathways for sustainable peace and development.
“Traditional development programs often operate within national boundaries, but challenges in borderlands are inherently cross-border. This facility takes an integrated, area-based approach that aligns interventions across Kenya and Uganda, ensuring solutions are responsive to the realities of borderland communities.”Zeynu Ummer, Director of UNDP’s Resilience Hub for Africa.
From Conflict to Opportunity: Strengthening Economic Resilience
For decades, economic hardship has fueled cross-border cattle raids, which in turn have intensified insecurity and disrupted livelihoods. Recognizing that poverty and conflict are interconnected, the Karamoja ABC Scaling Facility has prioritized alternative livelihood programs, value chain development, and access to markets to reduce dependence on conflict-prone economic activities.
- Climate-Smart Agriculture: The program has supported 300 farmers in adopting climate-resilient crops and drought-resistant farming techniques, ensuring food security even in unpredictable weather conditions.
- Sustainable Honey and Hay Production: A network of 42 beekeepers has been trained to commercialize honey production, while hay production cooperatives have ensured year-round availability of livestock feed, reducing migration pressures.
- Market Expansion: Infrastructure investments, including upgraded marketplaces and improved transport routes, have helped 85 traders expand their businesses and increase cross-border trade opportunities.
Beyond Economics: Peacebuilding Through Cross-Border Cooperation
While economic resilience is essential, long-term stability requires addressing conflict dynamics. The Karamoja ABC Scaling Facility integrates local peacebuilding mechanisms with regional governance efforts to de-escalate tensions and institutionalize conflict resolution.
- Revitalizing the Ateker Cross-Border Chiefs’ Forum: This indigenous conflict resolution body has been reactivated to facilitate dialogue, mediation, and community-driven security strategies between Kenyan and Ugandan leaders.
- Youth as Peace Ambassadors: With over 150 youth trained, community-led peace dialogues have empowered young leaders to act as conflict monitors and resilience champions.
- Strengthening Regional Frameworks: The initiative played a key role in shaping the Uganda-Kenya Memorandum of Understanding on Cross-Border Peace and Development, ensuring peace commitments are backed by policy and governance structures.
“Addressing conflict means providing alternatives. The integration of economic empowerment and peacebuilding is crucial in changing the security landscape of the Karamoja borderlands.”Zeynu Ummer, Director of UNDP’s Resilience Hub for Africa.
Unlocking the Power of Infrastructure and Investment
Trade and mobility are essential to economic resilience, yet poor infrastructure has long hindered cross-border commerce. The Karamoja ABC Scaling Facility is investing in critical infrastructure projects to unlock market potential and facilitate greater economic interdependence between Uganda and Kenya.
- Solar-Powered Boreholes: To address water scarcity, the facility has begun the installation of solar-powered boreholes in key grazing areas, reducing competition over resources and preventing migration-related disputes.
- Market Infrastructure Upgrades: Upgraded trading posts and livestock markets will enable local traders to engage in formalized cross-border trade, ensuring higher incomes and increased economic stability.
- Transport Corridors: Plans are underway to improve road networks connecting key cross-border trade hubs, ensuring that goods and services can flow freely, benefiting local economies.
Scaling Impact: What Comes Next?
With the Africa Borderlands Centre entering its second phase (ABC II), the success of the Karamoja Scaling Facility serves as a model for resilience programming across Africa’s border regions.
- Expansion to Other Borderlands: Building on lessons learned, the approach is now being considered for adaptation in the Sahel, Great Lakes, and the Horn of Africa.
- Private Sector Engagement: The Karamoja SDG Investor Map will be leveraged to attract private sector investment, particularly in agriculture, renewable energy, and digital inclusion.
- Technology-Driven Data Solutions: UNDP is working to integrate real-time data from the Borderlands Encyclopaedia Dashboard to improve evidence-based decision-making and monitor program outcomes.
- Regional Policy Advocacy: ABC will continue to engage with IGAD, ECOWAS, and the African Union to promote cross-border governance frameworks that prioritize resilience and sustainable development.
“The Karamoja Scaling Facility has demonstrated that resilience is not just about surviving adversity—it’s about transforming challenges into opportunities,” says Dr. Ummer. “When communities have access to economic opportunities, infrastructure, and peace mechanisms, borderlands shift from zones of fragility to hubs of prosperity.”
The Future of Borderlands is Resilient
For too long, borderlands have been overlooked in Africa’s development agenda. The Karamoja ABC Scaling Facility challenges this status quo by proving that when investments are targeted, community-led, and regionally integrated, real change happens.
With ABC II on the horizon, UNDP’s Africa Borderlands Centre is committed to ensuring that borderlands are no longer seen as peripheries but as engines of economic transformation and resilience.
