CoST – the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative – works with governments, industry and local communities around the world to get better value from public infrastructure investment by increasing transparency and accountability.
CoST is a multi-stakeholder initiative with participating countries spanning four continents. CoST promotes transparency by disclosing data from public infrastructure investment, helping to inform and empower citizens, enabling them to hold decision-makers to account. With a track record of saving money, delivering legal and institutional reforms and building the capacity of stakeholders, the initiative is ideally placed to drive future efforts on increasing transparency, accountability and cost-effectiveness in the delivery of public infrastructure. This is a brief and visual case study of CoST’s work in Uganda, succintly covering its why it is needed, its core features, the Ugandan context, and its key achievements and impact stories.

Like many other countries, Uganda’s expenditure on public infrastructure is significant. On a yearly basis, Uganda spends approximately 17% of its Gross Domestic Product (US$1 billion) on the sector. It is therefore vital to ensure that this expenditure results in quality projects, delivered on time. Since joining CoST in 2014, Uganda has continually embraced the initiative, committing to its principles of Disclosure, Assurance and Multi-Stakeholder Working. In line with this, Uganda’s ‘Vision 2040’ places emphasis on the expansion and improvement of public infrastructure across many sectors; including tourism, transport, energy and health.