In 2016, countries committed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the Paris Agreement. As parties to the agreement, countries express their commitments to reduce GHGs through nationally determined contributions (NDCs), which are prepared every five years. Which mitigation actions could be undertaken by Uganda to reduce GHGs in the cooling sector as part of their NDCs?

Mary: Considering Uganda’s cooling sector, the servicing sector is way bigger than the manufacturing sector since most of the equipment is imported. Therefore, some of the mitigations actions that Uganda can undertake to reduce GHGs in the cooling sector as part of their NDCs include firstly, capacity building of on-the-job uncertified technicians on how to install maintain and service equipment using climate friendly refrigerants. Further, creating ozone depleting substances (ODS) banks especially in urban areas, which are highly populated. The aim of ODS banks management is to contain the fluorinated gases and ultimately destroy the refrigerants.  On top of that, another important point would be to review the existing Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) to clearly include cooling equipment and ensure monitoring and verification for compliance.

How can projects implemented by UNIDO’s Montreal Protocol Division in cooperation with the National Ozone Office of Uganda support the actions you just recommended?

Mary: Due to the experience and good track record of implementing projects aimed at reducing GHG emissions, UNIDO’s Montreal Protocol Division can support the National Ozone Office of Uganda as an implementing or cooperating agency. With endorsement, from the National Ozone Office, UNIDO can submit proposals for funding to any of the financing avenues.

Which financing avenues are available for developing countries like Uganda if they commit to reducing emissions in the cooling sector?

Mary: Some of the available funding avenues available for developing countries in Uganda include The Multilateral fund (MLF); Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program – NDC facility (K-CEP NDC facility); Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) facility and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Judith, how has UNIDO supported institutions of higher learning in the country created by the Government of Uganda?

Judith: These institutions of higher learning are public institutions established by the Government of Uganda to provide learners with hands-on skills in different technical and vocational courses.

UNIDO is providing technical assistance to the Government of Uganda through the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to implement the domesticated ozone regulation. Uganda is a signatory to the Vienna Convention on the protection of the Ozone layer and the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone layer, as well as the Kigali amendment. In this regard, UNIDO, through the Hydrochloroflourocarbons Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP), is supporting institutions of higher learning including Kyambogo University, Elgon, Bushenyi, and Ogolai Technical Institutes by providing equipment and skills training for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning technicians in best practices of handling refrigerants and ozone depleting substances. Through this intervention, UNIDO is providing critical support in regards to safeguarding the environment and strengthening knowledge and institutions.

How do these institutions of higher learning affect the country’s economy and environment?

Judith: These institutions provide skills training for hundreds of young Ugandan men and women who enter the job market annually. Existing companies and institutions absorb some, while others go on to establish their own workshops which serve their communities. Whether they are employed by somebody else or whether they choose to create their own employment opportunities, these technicians provide much needed services from which they earn some income which enables them to meet their daily needs and the needs of their families. In addition, the technicians who have been trained in good refrigeration and air conditioning practices are highly skilled and trained on a range of issues related to protecting the ozone layer. They can identify refrigerants, which are harmful to the ozone layer and those which are not. This knowledge enables them to remove harmful refrigerants from old fridges and to replace them with the recommended refrigerants which are ozone friendly and in so doing, they play a tremendous role in safeguarding the environment by ensuring that the refrigerants they use are not ozone depleting.*

Can you give an example of how these higher learning institutes have an impact on the personal life of Ugandans?

Judith: The support UNIDO is rendering to these government-owned or public institutions has had a tremendous impact on the lives of several learners. UNIDO has been providing equipment and practical lessons for both instructors and students undertaking courses in refrigeration and air-conditioning. This has been very helpful in complementing government efforts in providing skills training to thousands of Ugandans. Previously, vocational and technical education was predominantly taken to be a field for men. Overtime we are witnessing more women taking up interest in these courses and thereby debunking the myth that only men have the aptitude for science and engineering courses. However, female enrolment in these courses remains quite low compared to male students’ enrolment. Nonetheless, the few females who enroll for these courses have a lot of enthusiasm. In 2019, UNIDO conducted a number of trainings on best practices in refrigeration and air conditioning. One of the institutes that benefited is Ogolai Technical Institute in Amuria district, in eastern Uganda. Here we met Martha Asekenye who is one of the female students at the institute. She spoke to UNIDO about her interest in the course and her dreams for the future:

“I chose this course because my uncle is a technician/engineer. He is benefiting a lot from his skills. I have always wanted to be an engineer since childhood. I want to be an important person like my uncle and hopefully become a professor one day and be well known like him. Many girls fear to study technical courses like these because they have a perception that it is difficult and that only boys or men can study such.  I love this course and I have gained a lot of skills. During my industrial training, I met many people who gave me a lot of encouragement. I was able to open the indoor and outdoor unit of the air conditioning alone. Like my classmates have said, we do not have enough time and resources to have many practical lessons. We would really like to do more in this area. The training UNIDO gave us this week has taught me so much. Now I know how to charge, vacuum, collect data. I have also known how to use many tools which I was not able to use earlier. I wish that UNIDO could make the trainings longer than a week. We need at least a month because there are so many things to learn.’’

Again, at a personal level, the support UNIDO provides to these institutions helps in building the capacity of individuals and many of them look forward to establishing their own workshops from where they can earn a decent living.

* The aim of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is to phase-down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by cutting their production and consumption. HFCs are commonly used as alternatives to HCFCs as they do not destroy the ozone layer, but they still have a high Global Warming Potential (GWP). UNIDO encourages Parties to the Montreal Protocol to avoid the use of these HFCs as transitional substances and instead shift towards long-term low-GWP solutions.