Origins of NFA

Origin of the National Forestry Authority

In 1998, the Government of Uganda adopted a policy to restructure several government departments, including the Forestry Department. It recognized the urgent need for changes in the policy, legal framework, and institutions governing forestry in the country. There was widespread concern about the state of the country's forests, particularly the forest reserves managed by the Forestry Department. The department was deemed inadequate for the task, necessitating its divestiture. Consequently, new institutional arrangements were created, leading to the establishment of the Forestry Inspection Division, the National Forestry Authority (NFA), and the District Forestry Services.

Since 1999, the Government of Uganda collaborated with international partners, including DFID, Norway, GTZ, UNDP, FAO, and the EU, to facilitate this institutional transformation. Following the decision to close the Forestry Department, the Ministry accelerated the development and transition to the NFA. In 2003, the NFA was established under Section 52 of the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act and was officially launched on April 26, 2004.

The creation of the NFA was preceded by the development of the Forestry Policy (2001) and the National Forest Plan (2002). These provided a framework for distributing roles and responsibilities among stakeholders, rather than limiting them to the Forestry Department alone.

Governance and Organisational Structure

At the helm of the structure is the Minister in charge of Water and Environment who, by law, appoints the NFA Board. The Executive Director (also Secretary to the Board) is supported by the Senior Personal Assistant (SPA) and the Executive Officer. The alignment of the functions of NFA falls under two programme interventions for Forestry Management and Institutional Development. The NFA Forestry Management intervention has the Directorates of Natural Forests and Plantations Management, while the intervention for Institutional Development has the Directorates of Legal and Corporate Affairs and Finance and Administration..