Wales ends £4m Uganda tree-planting grant due to budget pressures

The Welsh government has announced it will cease funding a major tree-planting initiative in Uganda, ending a partnership that has received over £4 million in public money since 2015. The grant to the climate change charity Size of Wales will not be renewed beyond 31 March 2027, a decision attributed to significant budgetary pressures facing the administration. This decision marks the end of a program that enjoyed backing from earlier administrations led by Labour, which has overseen the planting of over 25 million trees near Mbale in Uganda’s eastern Mount Elgon area.

Ministers stated that the withdrawal of funding was a necessary consequence of difficult financial decisions, clarifying that the decision was not a reflection on the quality of the charity’s work. A government spokesperson acknowledged that the programme had planted millions of trees and established important links between Wales and Uganda. However, the spokesperson emphasised that recognising the success of a specific programme does not equate to a commitment to fund the same delivery model indefinitely. The government is currently developing a new international strategy for Wales, aiming to ensure that future investments demonstrate clear impact, value for money, and tangible benefits for both Wales and its international partners.

Background

Collaborating with Indigenous and local populations globally, the Size of Wales initiative aims to cultivate trees and safeguard at least two million hectares of tropical woodland, a territory comparable in scale to Wales. In the specific Ugandan project, the trees are planted to help protect local populations in the Mount Elgon region from deadly landslides. According to a report released in August 2025 by the former administration, the project assisted some of the planet’s most impoverished individuals in adjusting to climate shifts and enhancing their means of subsistence.

The funding level has previously been a point of contention. In response to earlier critiques, Labour officials last year pointed out that the yearly expense of roughly £270,000 accounted for merely 0.001% of the state’s entire annual financial allocation for 2025. The administration currently headed by Plaid Cymru, which assumed power in May, intends to release its preliminary 2026-27 budget later this month, incorporating this reduction in funding within its wider financial revisions.

Why it matters

The decision has sparked a sharp political divide within the Senedd. Right-wing parties welcomed the termination of the grant, while left-wing politicians criticised the move. The Welsh Liberal Democrats accused the Plaid Cymru-run government of "out-Reforming Reform," reflecting the polarised nature of the debate over international aid spending. Size of Wales has formally called on the government to reconsider the decision, arguing for the continuation of the work. The scheme is described as having built important diplomatic and community links, and its cessation raises questions about the future of similar international development projects funded by the Welsh government.

What happens next

Official support for the Size of Wales tree-planting effort in Mbale is scheduled to conclude on 31 March 2027. The Welsh government has stated it looks forward to continuing its dialogue with the charity, although no specific new funding arrangements or alternative projects have been announced to replace the current scheme. The draft budget for 2026-27 is expected to be published later this month, which will provide further details on how the government intends to allocate its remaining international development funds.