Message From Executive Director
I welcome you to the Economic Policy Research Centre website. The centre’s strategic priorities are hinged on six main research themes with a guiding principle of supporting policy direction and priorities of our stakeholders to align with emerging areas occasioned by a rapidly changing national and global environment.
The six research themes are: (i) economy, employment and public finance management; (ii) microeconomic analysis and service delivery; (iii) private sector development and competitiveness; (iv) natural resource management; (v) policy inconsistency and implementation gaps; and trade and regional integration.
The EPRC also continues to focus on optimising technology to deliver timely user-responsive evidence and policy research. Given the significance of transforming Ugandan economy, new challenges and opportunities are emerging which require critical analysis and research for evidence-based policy options and responses.
The EPRC has a strategic plan for the period 2017/18 to 2020/21 which provides us with a strategic direction and the key areas /pillars to focus our research on for the foreseeable future.
On behalf of the EPRC management and staff, I wish to welcome you to this website and assure you that you will find value in our works.
Our Story
Economic Policy Research Centre
The Economic Policy Research Centre was established in 1993 as an autonomous not-for-profit organization limited by guarantee to fill fundamental voids in economics research, policy analysis, and capacity building for effective in-country contributions to Uganda’s policy processes.
Today EPRC is a reputable, credible and independent policy think tank in Uganda renowned for providing research based evidence and policy analysis to support the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of government policies.
Vision
A centre of excellence, providing national leadership in intellectual economic policy discourse, through timely research-based contribution to policy processes.
Mission
To foster sustainable growth and development of the Ugandan economy by advancing the role of research in policy processes.
Values
EPRC’s business conduct is anchored on the following core values which can be summarised as EISERIE.;
- Excellence (E)
- Independence (I)
- Sensitivity (S)
- Efficiency (E)
- Respect (R)
- Integrity (I)
- Engagement (E)
1. Winning Aspiration
Recognised leader in providing timely evidence based research responsive to user needs for policy and good governance.
2. Our Playing Field
Customers: Government; Development Partners; Private Sector; Academia & Research Institutions; Civil Society, Media & General Public
Products & Services: (a) Position Papers; (b) User Friendly Research products (e.g. Policy Briefs, Fact Sheet); (c) Policy Foresight; (d) Technical Support; and (e) Capacity Building and strengthening (e.g. Young Professional Program, internship).
Channels: Events; Task Forces & Working Groups; Networks; Publications; Media.
Geography: Focus on Uganda, serve globally.
3. Our Focus Areas / Pillars
Core
i) Offer responsive evidence based research through proactive engagement with stakeholders
Enablers
ii) Branding, marketing, publishing and partnerships through leveraging on technology
iii) Flexible work practices for organisational scalability to meet emerging demands
iv) Sustainable and growing centre
v) Risk, compliance and shared services
4. Capabilities we must have
C1. Competent staffing (research, communications, graphics & video, information technology and management, resource mobilisation, finance, human resource)
C2. Physical and Virtual Go To Resource Centre for Economic Policy Research
C3. Public relations, country-wide mobilisation & convening and multi media publishing
C4. Resource mobilisation and partnership management
5. Management systems we need
S1. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) – HR, Finance, Membership management, Subscription, Unified Communication, Research, etc
S2. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for key processes
S3. ISO 9001:2008 Certification for core processes
S4. Governance structures and systems
Founders
Government of Uganda
The Government of Uganda (GoU) is one of the founding members and the major client or key stakeholder for EPRC. The Government has continued to provide the bulk of the funding support for EPRC’s programmes and activities since its inception in 1993 through counterpart funding from the Ministry of Finance Planning & Economic Development. Although government helped to set up and continues to fund EPRC, the Centre operates outside the institutional structure of Government as an independent and credible research institution. The Centre continues to be impartial in its research work and policy advice to government and other stakeholders.
Ministry of Finance website: finance.go.ug
Makerere University
Makerere University is one of the founding members of EPRC and provider of the land for the EPRC office block. Currently, EPRC is collaborating with the university through the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) to conduct research, training, studies and analyses of economic and related policies and other policies incidental to or related to economic or statistical issues.
Website: mak.ac.ug
Bank of Uganda
The Bank of Uganda (BoU) is the Central Bank of the Republic of Uganda. It was opened on August 15, 1966. It is 100% owned by the Government of Uganda but it is not a government Department. Bank of Uganda conducts all its activities in close association with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development(MoFPED). Bank of Uganda is responsible for the formulation and implementation of monetary policy as well as regulating & supervising financial institutions.
Bank of Uganda website: https://www.bou.or.ug/