By the Witness Radio team.

Climate action is no longer just an environmental concern; it has become an economic imperative as governments and businesses face mounting costs from climate disasters, energy insecurity, and environmental harm.

Investing in renewables, land restoration, and climate resilience not only safeguards economic growth and livelihoods but also helps prevent future losses. But capital alone is not enough; lasting progress demands steady government policies, private-sector commitment, and true community engagement.

These urgent topics took center stage at a high-level discussion hosted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ahead of COP31, where leaders from international institutions, business, and the environmental sector explored how partnerships can speed up climate action.

Presenting the OECD’s economic analysis, Mr. Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, the OECD Environment Director, argued that despite uncertainty in international climate negotiations, the real economy continued to move toward cleaner energy and climate-related investment.

“What hasn’t been stalling is the real economy,” he said, arguing that the focus was increasingly shifting from setting climate ambitions towards implementing them.

He said clean energy is becoming important not only for reducing emissions but also for strengthening energy security and reducing dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets.

“Fossil fuels were seen as a stable energy source and renewable energy was the new kid on the block. Now we see that fossil fuels are seen as a source of instability, and renewable energy is a source of stability going forward,” Jaime said.

Jaime also pointed to the growing investment in clean energy, noting that of approximately $3 trillion invested in energy systems, about $2 trillion went towards clean energy, compared with $1 trillion for fossil fuels. He adds that early investment in climate action is therefore not simply an environmental choice but an economic decision.

“The costs today are cheaper than in five years or in 10 years or in 15 years. So, acting early makes sense,” he said.

To turn climate investment pledges into real progress, businesses need policies that inspire long-term confidence. Peter Bakker, President and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), noted that sustainability is fast becoming a competitive edge for companies, not just a box to tick for corporate responsibility.

Drawing on the organization’s Business Breakthrough Barometer, which surveyed more than 500 executives across more than 50 countries, Bakker said 89 percent of companies expected to maintain or increase their sustainability investments compared with the previous year.

He also noted that 85 percent of respondents wanted more government policy, rather than less, to support the transition.

He also warned against focusing solely on the supply side of the energy transition, stressing that governments must spark demand for cleaner technologies while investing in their production.

“We shouldn’t only focus on the supply side; we must focus on the demand side,” he said.

Bakker highlighted the private sector’s growing opportunities, from electrification and energy-smart buildings to cleaner ways of making goods.

Beyond energy, restoring damaged land and boosting drought resilience open new doors to blend environmental protection with economic growth.

Dr.Yasmin Fouad, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), said land degradation and drought were increasingly threatening economic stability, food security and human livelihoods.

She noted that half of global GDP depends on nature. At the same time, one-fifth of the world’s land is already degraded, affecting approximately 1.3 billion people, and restoring degraded land should be treated as an economic investment rather than an expense government can postpone.

“The studies show you that for every dollar that you are investing now as a cost to restore land, there is a revenue that comes to around $30,” Fouad said.

Yet, despite these promising economic returns, she admitted that scarce financing, budget strains in vulnerable countries, and too few projects ready to attract private capital still hold back land restoration investment.

She proposed a financing approach in which multilateral development banks help reduce investment risks, making it easier for private companies to participate in restoration projects.

“The financial architecture that was developed for renewable energy needs to be transferred and realized very quickly on land restoration,” she said, adding that under such arrangements, development banks could help reduce the risks associated with restoration projects, making them more attractive to private investors.

Fouad also emphasized the importance of aligning national policies so that investments in climate adaptation, agriculture, biodiversity and land restoration reinforce rather than compete with one another. She pointed to the UNCCD’s Business for Land initiative, which brings governments and businesses together to discuss investment opportunities in land restoration.

The initiative has attracted interest beyond agricultural companies, including businesses in the fashion, beverage. However, she emphasized that investment only works when paired with secure land rights and real community involvement full of community participation.

“If we don’t have clear land rights to allow the private sector to invest, and clarity on how many years I’m owning land, what is the legality of that, that would really prevent the private sector from pitching in,” she said.

While restoring land helps reduce environmental risks, climate resilience must also be woven into infrastructure planning and investments. Mark Fletcher, Head of Zurich Resilience Solutions for Asia-Pacific, urged businesses and governments to factor in climate risks before breaking ground, not after disaster strikes.

“The fundamental barrier today is that resilience is still treated as a recovery tool, not as a design input,” he said.

Fletcher cited research by Zurich on renewable energy assets across Southeast Asia, covering more than 1,000 wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower locations.

The assessment found that 75 percent of these sites, worth an estimated $165 billion, face high risk from climate hazards within five years. Investing in resilience from the start could slash future losses.

According to Fletcher, the study estimated that investing approximately $13 billion in resilience measures at the investment stage could prevent about $85 billion in future losses.

He suggested that insurers can nudge businesses toward resilience by rewarding reduced risks with better insurance terms, such as improved coverage and lower deductibles. protection, that property is a better risk,” he said,

Governments, financial institutions, and businesses all play vital roles in funding and driving climate action. Still, the conversation also underscored the importance of bringing communities into the heart of the transition.

Fouad cautioned that restoration projects risk causing new problems if local communities are left out of decisions about the land and resources they rely on.

“If you don’t do that, you may end up doing something that they did not participate in, and again that would cause conflict and cause migration,” she said.

Jaime also highlighted civil society’s crucial role in building trust and shaping climate investments for the long haul. He described these organizations as bridges, connecting governments and businesses with the communities their investments touch.

“Civil society has an important role in ensuring that the just transition is inclusive and sustainable. Beyond their traditional role of holding institutions accountable, civil society organizations can build relationships and act as agents of trust, helping ensure environmental initiatives are designed for long-term success. This requires a shift from criticism towards collaboration, with governments, businesses and communities working together to advance the transition,” he concluded.

Government land across Uganda is increasingly being grabbed, encroached on and fraudulently titled, with some officials in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development accused of facilitating illegal transactions, State Minister for Lands, Harriet Ntabazi, has said.

Ntabazi said some high-ranking government officials with access to information in the ministry had acquired titles on public land, while others had illegally occupied government property and were using it for activities not authorised by government. She also accused some ministry officials of deliberately issuing multiple titles on the same piece of land despite records showing the property belongs to government.

She said government is strengthening land information systems to prevent fraudulent transactions and improve integrity of land records. Ntabazi made the remarks on Tuesday during a regional stakeholders’ engagement on development of a comprehensive government land inventory organised by the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) at Hoima Resort Hotel in Hoima City.

She cautioned individuals illegally occupying government land to voluntarily vacate before enforcement measures are taken. She said government land, including property occupied by health facilities, police stations, district headquarters, markets, schools, road reserves, forests, game reserves, wetlands and other public institutions, must be protected from encroachment and fraud.

Ntabazi urged district technical officers, town clerks, land officers, physical planners, surveyors, natural resources officers and political leaders to ensure accurate information about public land is collected and submitted to relevant authorities. She said districts should take responsibility for establishing accurate inventories of government land instead of waiting for the Ministry or ULC.

The minister said government has embarked on identifying, verifying, profiling, registering and titling all its land to protect it from illegal occupation and land grabbing. She cited Section 3.7, Statement 27 of the National Land Policy 2013, which requires government to audit, survey, title and maintain an inventory of government and public land.

Ntabazi called on leaders and stakeholders in Bunyoro and across the country to take active role in identifying and documenting government land in their areas. She said the exercise would also enable government to establish a land bank for future expansion, industrialisation, infrastructure development and investment.

The minister however reassured lawful landowners that the exercise was not intended to dispossess people who had legally acquired land in good faith. She emphasised importance of protecting government land in Bunyoro, citing the region’s strategic importance due to ongoing oil and gas developments, construction of Kabalega International Airport and other major infrastructure projects.

ULC: Most Gov’t Land Untitled

Prof. Pen Mogi Nyeko, Chairperson of the Uganda Land Commission, said a significant portion of government land remained untitled, exposing it to encroachment and fraudulent acquisition. Nyeko said the Commission, the Ministry of Lands and local governments need to work together to protect public land.

He said a comprehensive government land inventory would help reduce land disputes arising from inadequate records while protecting environmentally fragile areas and public utility corridors. Nyeko added that reliable geospatial land data is essential for infrastructure development, service delivery and effective planning.

He called on religious institutions, civil society organisations and opinion leaders to mobilise communities to provide information about leases granted by or obtained from government.

Hoima LCV Chairperson Uthman Kadir Mugisa said the district had so far titled 60 percent of its government land, adding that local government allocates funds annually towards securing titles for public property.

However, Mugisa raised concern over allegedly fraudulent titles acquired by wealthy individuals and speculators, saying some were being used to threaten hundreds of residents with eviction. He asked the Ministry of Lands to investigate how the titles were obtained and cancel those found to have been fraudulently acquired.

Hoima City Mayor Edward Isingoma said increasing population was putting pressure on land in Bunyoro. He asked the Ministry to consider providing free land titles to residents, arguing that cost and bureaucracy made the process inaccessible to many.

Buliisa LCV Chairperson Twairi Atuhaure Wandera also reported increasing cases of land grabbing in the district, saying the situation had left many residents uncertain about security of their land.

He called on the ministry to extend free land titling services to residents through the Systematic Land Adjudication and Certification (SLAAC) programme.

Hoima Resident City Commissioner Badru Mugabi said about 70 percent of their work involved resolving land-related disputes, reflecting growing pressure on land in Bunyoro. He said some wealthy individuals had encroached on government land, adding that the proposed inventory would help safeguard public property.

The engagement attracted district surveyors, district land board committees, Resident District Commissioners, Chief Administrative Officers, LCV chairpersons and town clerks from across Bunyoro sub-region.

Source: -URN Via businessfocus.co.ug

By the Witness Radio Team

From Kalangala to Buvuma and Sango Bay, oil palm development has brought worries about land loss, delayed compensation, and dwindling access to natural resources. Now, as the government sets its sights on Busoga, community land defenders are questioning whether this expansion will truly uplift rural households or repeat the hardships seen elsewhere.

In Buvuma, community land defender Atanansi Musagala says some residents who surrendered land for oil palm development have waited years for compensation, some reportedly as long as a decade.

He says these delays have left families grappling to rebuild their lives after losing the land that once sustained them.

“Land is often the foundation of household survival. Families cultivate food crops, raise livestock and earn income from agricultural activities. It can also serve as a financial safety net, allowing households to sell produce or use their property to support other investments during difficult times,” Musagala told Witness Radio.

“When families lose this resource without timely compensation, rebuilding their livelihoods becomes more difficult. They may have to find alternative land, seek casual employment or depend on relatives to meet basic needs. Children’s education, household food consumption and other essential expenses may compete for whatever income remains available.”

“Even when compensation eventually arrives, the money may no longer be sufficient to purchase equivalent land or restore the economic activities that families previously depended on,” he added.

The worries about land loss and threatened livelihoods stretch beyond Buvuma. In Kalangala, the birthplace of Uganda’s oil palm program, women’s rights and land defender Prossy Gwobikira says the expansion has also strained communities’ access to natural resources and sparked environmental fears.

“You see, hundreds of people were evicted to give way for oil palm. They cut forests to plant these palm trees, and now they have gone on to destroy our lake by planting trees in the buffer zone,” she said.

In Sango Bay, Kyotera District, oil palm development has been shadowed by bitter disputes over land acquisition and compensation.

In 2022, as the government moved to clear land for the project, reports surfaced of evictions in the Sango Bay Estate. Bulldozers tore down structures belonging to those labeled as encroachers across roughly 247 square miles.

At the time, the government said it was prepared to compensate only 300 people considered bona fide occupants, out of an estimated 10,000 households living in the area.

Reports suggested that compensation had begun, yet uncertainty lingered for the many households still unsure how their claims to land and property would be resolved.

Anxiety is growing as the government eyes Busoga for oil palm expansion, touting the crop as a solution to boost rural incomes and reduce Uganda’s reliance on imported vegetable oil.

On October 21, Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze told Parliament that Uganda consumes approximately 450,000 tonnes of vegetable oil annually but produces only 80,000 tonnes, leaving a deficit of 370,000 tonnes.

The country spends about US$300 million, equivalent to Shs1.25 trillion, on annual imports, he said.

To address the shortfall, the government plans to expand oil palm cultivation to approximately 100,000 hectares, with a longer-term ambition of reaching between 150,000 and 200,000 hectares within a decade.

Tumwebaze said oil palm produces between four and 10 times more oil per hectare than crops such as soybean and sunflower.

He also said farmers could earn about Shs500,000 per acre per month from the fourth year after planting, with production continuing for about 20 years.

But Musagala warns that farmers also shoulder costs that could eat into their earnings.

“Oil palm takes several years to mature, while farmers must meet the costs of seedlings, fertilizers, labor and other inputs before harvesting begins. Loan repayments can add to the pressure for those who borrow money to establish their plantations.” He added.

In Mayuge, Bugiri and Namayingo, 589.56 hectares are already under oil palm, out of the 2,817 hectares earmarked for cultivation.

As the project spreads into Busoga, community land defenders urge the government to address the challenges already reported in existing oil palm regions.

“People where this project has been, have suffered a lot. We pray that the government learns from the past mistakes and addresses the impacts that have come along with the project so that elsewhere people benefit,” Gwobikira said.

Busoga has already felt the impact of sugarcane cultivation, sparking worries over food security, land use and rural livelihoods. Now, as oil palm production expands, community land defenders are pressing the government to ensure this new investment does not deepen existing problems but instead offers farmers a steady income and safeguards their access to land and food.