An Analysis of the Legal Framework for Sustainable Fisheries’ financing in Uganda
Abstract:The fisheries sector is critical to Uganda’s economy as it contributes about 3% to national GDP and 12% to agriculture sector GDP. Curiously, the sector does not benefit from the proceeds of revenue generated from fisheries activities. This raises an important question of how best to ensure that proceeds and revenue generated from the fisheries sector are ploughed-back for the sustainable development and improvement of the sector. Through a doctrinal research methodology, this study examined the legal framework for sustainable fisheries financing in Uganda. In that vein, the study attempted to tie the loose ends of the Constitution and the Public Finance Management Act, with an effectively crafted link to relevant provisions of a substantive fisheries legislation to address the issue of inadequate financing. The study resonates with previous research findings that attribute the financial gap in the fisheries sector to low public investment, and over-dependence on central government transfers. Drawing lessons from other jurisdictions, it contends that developing and implementing a robust legal framework is critical to filling the financial gap and realizing the full potentials of the sector. It advocates for the ring-fencing of funds such that the fisheries sector is allowed to retain a quota of proceeds deriving from fees, licenses, and taxes for its development. Similarly, the study presses for the adoption of principles of fiscal decentralization to give local governments right to retain a share of government revenue deriving from fisheries activities within their areas of jurisdiction.
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