The Government of Uganda is investing around 22 million euros by 2030 for the nationwide rollout of the ICOLEW programme, strengthening literacy, skills training, and community empowerment in rural areas.
The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, under Article 30, recognizes education as a fundamental human right. Uganda’s long-term development strategy, Vision 2040, and the corresponding National Development Plan IV (2025–2030) identify education as a fundamental pillar for socio-economic transformation. Despite progress made in improving access to quality education, 73% of the population aged 10 and above remain illiterate, perpetuating cycles of poverty, gender-based violence, and low uptake of critical services such as healthcare, agriculture, and infrastructure.
To tackle these systemic challenges, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), with technical and financial support from DVV International, designed and piloted the Integrated Community Learning for Wealth Creation (ICOLEW) program. ICOLEW provides community-based adult learning and education (ALE) programs focusing on literacy, skills development, and wealth creation. The program’s success in empowering communities and enhancing access to lifelong learning led the MGLSD to integrate ICOLEW into the Public Investment Plan. After the approval of the Ministry of Finance, the way is now paved for the nationwide rollout of the program.
The Public Investment Plan allocates 85 billion Ugandan shillings (approximately 22 million euros) until 2030 for the rollout of ICOLEW. These funds will support the program’s core components, including the establishment of 228 Community Learning Centers (CLCs), which will provide literacy and numeracy training, vocational and livelihood skills development, and financial literacy and loan financial capacity development.
This initiative is expected to benefit over 60,000 Ugandans in rural areas who either missed out on or did not complete formal education and are semi-literate or non-literate.
We cannot transition to a middle-income economy without investing in human capital. It is not the fault of a citizen if they missed formal education. It is the obligation of the state to give them a second chance. – Everest Tumwesigye, Commissioner of Community Development and Literacy
With the support of DVV International, the MGLSD has established four Regional Model CLCs in Ugandas major regions: Namayingo District in the East, Nwoya District in Northern Uganda, Mityana District in Central Uganda and Rukungiri District in Western Uganda. These centres serve as peer learning and exchange hubs for the districts in the regions that want to set up their own Community Learning Center. CLCs offer adult learning and education programmes and services for the whole community and therewith, make quality learning in basic education and any development issues easily accessible.
According to Everest Tumwesigye, Commissioner of Community Development and Literacy, “CLCs are where policy meets the people. We’re not just building classrooms – we’re building pathways out of poverty. […] Our goal is clear: A Uganda where no one is denied opportunity because they lacked formal schooling. That is the future we’re building – one learner, one community at a time.”
DVV International remains committed to supporting the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in rolling out the ICOLEW programme across Uganda.
More information
- Listen to the commissioner's sharing about the government support of the ICOLEW Programme: watch here (YouTube)
- Learn more about the work of DVV International in East Africa at the regional website.