Today, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Her Excellency Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, paid an official visit to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs (MoJCA), where she held discussions on areas of potential cooperation between the Commonwealth and Uganda, including justice-sector reforms, digitalisation, legal processes and institutional capacity building.
The Secretary-General was received by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Norbert Mao, at the JLOS Towers, where she held discussions with Ministry leadership and senior officials on Uganda’s national priorities within the justice sector and areas where Commonwealth support could add value.
The meeting explored opportunities for technical assistance and knowledge exchange in areas including legal reforms, digitalisation of legal processes, electronic document management, artificial intelligence and cyber-related technical support.
The discussions also highlighted the importance of leveraging expertise and best practices from across the Commonwealth’s 56 member countries to support member states in addressing emerging institutional and justice-sector needs.
Her Excellency Botchwey noted that the Commonwealth can support member states through capacity building and technical assistance, as well as by facilitating partnerships between countries with relevant expertise and those seeking support in specific areas.
She commended Uganda for the reforms undertaken in several areas and emphasised the importance of continued collaboration to strengthen human rights, administrative justice, access to justice and the effectiveness of justice institutions.
The discussions also highlighted Uganda’s ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of justice processes, including the use of digital systems to track the progress of work and identify delays in the processing of matters.
Such innovations were noted as important steps towards improving accountability, efficiency and service delivery.
Hon. Mao outlined several areas in which the Ministry is seeking continued technical cooperation, including transitional justice, legal reform, national dialogue and reconciliation, as well as strengthening systems that support access to justice and the protection of rights.
The Minister also highlighted the importance of partnerships that enable Uganda to benefit from the experience and expertise available within the Commonwealth, noting that technical cooperation can help translate institutional reforms into practical results for citizens.
The meeting agreed on the importance of identifying practical, achievable areas of cooperation, particularly initiatives that can deliver tangible results in the short term.
The Ministry will follow up with a communication outlining priority areas where Commonwealth technical support and partnerships can be pursued.
The visit underscored the shared commitment of Uganda and the Commonwealth to strengthening justice institutions, promoting good governance and supporting reforms that improve the delivery of justice and public services.
The Secretary-General was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Adonia Ayebare, and other officials. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms. Vicky Nabisenke; the Permanent Secretary was represented by Undersecretary Moris Muhindo; as well as Directors, Commissioners and senior officials from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.