Empowering Uganda’s People and Ecosystems With Eli Abaho - Part Two
- Camoya Evans
- Jan 26
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 27
Camoya Evans continues interviewing Eli Abaho, Executive Director of Nect Green Code (NGC), an organisation promoting environmental health and climate justice in Uganda. Eli discusses how NGC navigates political tensions, the impact of international solidarity, and his personal connection to chimpanzees. NGC addresses extractive policies by strengthening community resilience, providing legal awareness, and international visibility to environmental and human rights concerns. Eli highlights the power of grassroots organizing and the sense of protection and empowerment that fuels his commitment to this mission.
After the internet blackout a couple of weeks ago, some key social media platforms and messaging apps remain restricted in Uganda. Will this have any direct repercussions on the work you are doing? How do you connect to your local communities through these moments of political tension?
Eli: Yes, internet restrictions definitely affect our work, particularly in communication, coordination and storytelling. Much of Nect Green Code’s advocacy relies on digital platforms to share community stories, document environmental impacts and connect local realities to national and international audiences. When platforms are restricted, visibility is reduced, and communities feel even more isolated.
However, our work is intentionally grounded beyond digital spaces. During moments of political tension, we rely heavily on offline engagement, where community dialogues, local radio, in-person trainings, and trusted community focal persons are used. These methods are slower, but they are resilient and rooted in trust.
In many ways, these moments remind us why grassroots organising matters. When the internet goes quiet, community relationships become the strongest infrastructure. We continue to listen, support and organise at the local level, while being mindful of safety. Political tension reinforces the need for calm, inclusive spaces where people can speak openly about environmental and social concerns without fear.
Leader of the opposition Bobi Wine had vowed to review oil agreements to better benefit Ugandans. What does his recent detention and the re-election of President Museveni mean for Nect Green Code and its community?
Eli: For communities in the Albertine region, political developments are deeply connected to everyday realities such as land rights, livelihoods and environmental safety. Promises to review oil agreements raised hope among many people who feel excluded from decision-making around natural resources.
Recent events, including political detentions and continuity in leadership, signal that systemic change will not come easily or quickly. For Nect Green Code, this reinforces our understanding that community protection and environmental justice cannot depend solely on political transitions.
Our role is not partisan; it is protective and empowering. We focus on helping communities understand their rights, document impacts and advocate peacefully for accountability regardless of who is in power. These developments remind us to strengthen community resilience, legal awareness and international visibility so that environmental and human rights concerns cannot be ignored, even in restrictive political environments.
You've mentioned the need for stronger international solidarity. What does this look like for you, and how can it have an impact on the injustices Ugandan communities are facing?
Eli: International solidarity, for us, means shared responsibility and amplified voices and not imposed solutions. It looks like global partners listening to frontline communities, standing with them when civic space shrinks and using their platforms to highlight local realities.
Practically, this includes: International organisations amplifying community-led research and stories. Funders providing flexible support to grassroots groups working in difficult contexts. And global advocacy networks applying pressure on corporations and governments to uphold environmental and human rights standards.
When international solidarity is strong, it creates protection. It makes it harder for environmental harm or human rights violations to happen in silence. For Ugandan communities facing extractive projects and political constraints, solidarity can mean safer advocacy, stronger accountability, and pathways to just alternatives such as renewable energy and sustainable livelihoods.
What do you believe is missing from the language or manner in which we discuss conservation, renewable energy, and waste management?
Eli: Much of our current language treats conservation as separate from human well-being. We talk about protecting animals or forests, but forget justice and culture. We also fail to challenge the assumption that development must come from extraction. We need to reframe conservation as a pathway for community resilience and equity, not just political preservation.
Camoya: Are there government-led solar programs, or is most of this work happening through organisations like yours?
Eli: There are government solar initiatives, but they are limited in scale and reach. In many cases, these programs do not reach rural communities due to weak implementation and governance challenges. As a result, civil society organisations and socially responsible businesses play a critical role in filling this gap. Through partnerships and community sensitisation, we are able to support the installation of solar systems, though the level of support remains far below what is needed to meet demand.
Camoya: Does the government have a conservation department or agency that is responsible for environmental protection?
Eli: Yes, yes. Uganda has environmental institutions, such as the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), but their effectiveness is undermined by oil companies' financial power. Short-term economic gains are prioritised over long-term environmental and social well-being.
Camoya: And what does corporate accountability look like to you?
Eli: Corporate accountability means transparency, respect for human rights, and adherence to environmental standards. Companies like TotalEnergies must be held accountable not only for pollution but also for the irreversible damage caused to ecosystems like Murchison Falls National Park and Bugoma Forest.
Charcoal burning is a practice I’m interested in learning more about. Can you discuss what drives people to engage in this practice and what its effects are on the surrounding land and wildlife?
Eli: Charcoal burning is driven by poverty, a lack of alternative energy sources, and weak enforcement of forest laws. It provides short-term income but leads to long-term loss, such as deforestation, soil erosion, reduced rainfall, and wildlife displacement. Forests that once provided shade, food, and medicinal plants are disappearing. This pushes species like monkeys, birds, and even elephants into smaller, fragmented habitats, threatening biodiversity and local climate stability.
Camoya: So then what does sustainable forestry practices look like to you to combat charcoal burnings?
Eli: Sustainable forestry means managing forests for the benefit of people and wildlife, ensuring that any resource use like timber or charcoal is regenerative, not extractive. It involves community ownership, reforestation, and protecting corridors for wildlife movement.
What stands out to you about the Wild We Stand mission, and do you see a connection between this mission and your organisation and the work that you're doing in Uganda?
Eli: What resonates deeply with me is Wild We Stand’s commitment to uplifting grassroots voices in conservation and connecting environmental justice to cultural identity. That aligns perfectly with Nect Green Code’s mission to amplify local voices in environmental decision-making and promote climate justice. Both organisations believe that true conservation cannot happen without community empowerment and inclusion.
Where do you see Nect Green Code going as an organisation? What are your hopes and ambitions?
Eli: I see Nect Green Code growing into a regional hub for community-led environmental justice and just transition work in the Albertine region and beyond. Our ambition is not rapid growth for its own sake, but deep, durable impact.
In the coming years, we aim to strengthen community-owned renewable energy and waste-to-value initiatives. [To] expand storytelling and environmental monitoring to influence national and international policy conversations. And finally, to build stronger networks with African and global just transition movements.
My hope is that Nect Green Code becomes known as an organisation that proves development can be people-centred, environmentally responsible, and locally led even in complex political and economic contexts.
What animal do you feel the most connected to that lives in Ugandan forests?
Eli: I feel deeply connected to a chimpanzee. Chimpanzees live in strong social groups, communicate constantly and depend on healthy forests for survival, much like our communities depend on collective action and a healthy environment.
They are intelligent, resilient and deeply affected by habitat loss caused by deforestation and industrial expansion. For me, chimpanzees symbolise the fragile balance between development and conservation. Protecting them means protecting forests, water systems and the communities that coexist within these ecosystems.
They remind me that environmental justice is not only about people, it’s also about our shared future with all living beings.
Follow @WildWeStand on Instagram and LinkedIn for more stories from people engaged in protecting wildlife, culture, and ecosystems.
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