Socio-economic Development

Friends Consult provides social development consulting in Uganda, supporting NGOs, government agencies, development finance institutions and international donors in designing, implementing and evaluating programmes that improve livelihoods, build community resilience and advance social inclusion across East Africa.

With over 25 years of experience in the Uganda development sector, we combine technical expertise with deep contextual knowledge — ensuring our work is grounded in the realities of communities across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and beyond.

Our Socio-economic Development Services

Programme Design & Feasibility

We support the design of social development programmes from inception — developing theory of change, results frameworks, log frames, implementation plans and budget structures. We ensure programmes are evidence-based, community-centred and aligned with national development priorities.

Livelihoods & Economic Inclusion

We design and evaluate livelihoods programmes targeting smallholder farmers, youth, women, refugees and other vulnerable groups — linking beneficiaries to markets, financial services, skills training and productive assets.

Gender & Social Inclusion

We integrate gender and social inclusion analysis into programme design, implementation and evaluation — identifying barriers that prevent women, youth, persons with disabilities and marginalised groups from benefiting equally from development interventions.

Refugee & Humanitarian Finance

Friends Consult has specialist experience in designing and evaluating financial inclusion programmes for refugee populations — including work in the West Nile region of Uganda with aBi Finance and the Building Financial Services Ecosystem (B-FINE) programme.

Community Engagement & Participatory Approaches

We use participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and human-centred design approaches to ensure communities are genuine partners in programme development — not just beneficiaries. This builds ownership, relevance and sustainability.

Social Impact Assessment

We conduct independent social impact assessments (SIA) for businesses, infrastructure projects and development programmes — evaluating effects on community livelihoods, social cohesion, gender relations and vulnerable groups.

Clients & Partners

Friends Consult has delivered social development assignments for USAID, FCDO/DFID, GIZ, aBi Finance, JICA, Naguru Teenage Information and Health Centre, and multiple Ugandan government ministries. Our work spans agriculture, health, education, financial inclusion, gender empowerment and refugee response — always with a focus on evidence, accountability and genuine community benefit.

Core Focus Areas

• Baseline Surveys
• Midline and Endline Evaluations
• Assessment of Capacity Building Interventions
• Integrated Rural Development
• Women in Development
• Youths and Persons with Disability (PWD) Development
• Program and Project Design
• Project Management
• Needs Assessments
• Resilience and Recovery
• Operational Audits
• Organizational / Sector Assessment
• Economic Assessment
• Evaluation of SME Projects

Ready to design or evaluate a social development programme? Contact Friends Consult