LocationsHow philanthropic funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is helping emerging cities in Uganda turn data into better revenue and services.
Better Data, Better Cities
June 18, 2026
A view of the Jinja City Bridge in Uganda, showcasing key urban infrastructure that enhances connectivity, supports transport efficiency, and contributes to the city’s economic activity and development.
UN Global Pulse.
In Fort Portal, an emerging city in Uganda, one realization marked a turning point.
“We didn’t even realize what we were sitting on”, says the Principal Assistant City Clerk Peter Kusemererwa, recalling the moment the city began to see revenue datasets differently.
For years, data existed but was not used and remained disconnected from the decisions that shape people’s daily lives and efficient urban governance. This unused data reflects a broader challenge across Uganda’s emerging cities: some data exists, but institutions have inadequate systems, skills, and confidence to use it.
UNDP's ongoing partnership with UN Global Pulse on data, AI, and digital innovation has supported work like the DataCities initiative, funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Through this philanthropic funding, the initiative, implemented by UN Global Pulse, Sunbird AI, ToroDev, and the city authorities of Jinja and Fort Portal, continues to help turn the revenue mobilization gap into an opportunity.
Unlocking Value
What was once a static property rate revenue dataset in Fort Portal is now informing decisions on planning, service delivery, and revenue enhancement.
“It took the DataCities team to help us realize that, and to reclaim the value and potential of that data for ourselves,” Peter explains.
The shift is tangible: resources are being used more effectively, departments are working more closely together, and confidence in evidence‑based decision‑making continues to grow.
Fort Portal City Principal Assistant Town Clerk, Peter Kusemererwa, speaking at a DataCities workshop, highlighting how improved data systems can strengthen revenue collection, enhance accountability, and support more efficient service delivery within the city.
UN Global Pulse.
Empowering the People Behind the Data
While Fort Portal was discovering its data wealth, Jinja City, also in Uganda, was learning how to use data more efficiently to strengthen service delivery. Through a targeted capacity-building program led by DataCities, Jinja City’s Revenue and Finance Department strengthened its institutional capabilities.
Officials learned to map unregistered properties, correct inconsistencies in records, and prioritize enforcement more effectively. The result is a change from fragmented, manual processes to more targeted, data-informed revenue management, strengthening the city’s ability to fund essential services.
The Foundation’s investment is helping these cities move from guesswork to evidence, leading to better decisions and improved service delivery.
“We now know what success should look like and how to measure it,” Kusemererwa notes.
A group photo of Fort Portal City officials, DataCities Consortium members, and Hewlett Foundation representative Christopher Maloney at a workshop that reviewed project progress and discussed data-driven approaches to improving revenue collection, service delivery, and urban development.
UN Global Pulse.
A Model with Impact
The structural changes that followed have been significant. By digitizing property records and using geospatial analysis, tax records became more accurate. As a result, between 2022 and 2023, Fort Portal’s own-source revenue increased from UGX 1.7 billion (USD 450,000) to UGX 2.14 billion (USD 565,000), an increase of over 300 million shillings (USD 80,000), without raising a single tax rate.
This shows that when cities are equipped to understand and use their own data, they become more responsive, efficient, and resilient.
But the impact goes far beyond balance sheets. Fort Portal is now using data to improve waste management and deliver more reliable services. As Uganda’s designated Tourism City, DataCities has supported the development of simple visitor maps and introduced a Tourist Activity Tracker to better understand visitor behavior and guide future investments.
“When data is collected, it is not an end in itself. It is to be used as a tool to deliver better services to the people,” echoed Asaba Edison Ruyonga, Mayor of Fort Portal City.
The pilot testing of the Tourism Activity Tracker at the Botanical Gardens in Fort Portal City, Uganda, assessing how the tool performs in capturing visitor activity insights to support future data-driven tourism planning, management, and sustainability in one of the city’s key tourism spaces.
UN Global Pulse.
Philanthropic funding has acted as the catalyst, unlocking the value of existing data and, more importantly, empowering the people behind it. By investing in people and systems, cities are becoming more responsive, efficient, and resilient.
Expanding these development gains will require stronger partnerships with philanthropic and private actors willing to invest in long-term systems transformation that benefits communities.
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