development agenda. The conditions demanded that government take a hands-off approach to the country’s development and place greater priority on the oil and gas sector which the IMF and World Bank identified as key to strengthening the country’s revenue collections. This was in contrast to the development imaginations and aspirations of women interviewed during field visits for this study. Women interviewed defined development as having not only economic but also social dimensions. These women aspired to a community with better housing, where there is equality between men and women in accessing essential services like education, health and justice, but also where both genders have equal rights before the law, and can own, control and access land and other productive resources equitably. Our research revealed that the fasttracked extractivist projects within the country’s oil and gas sector have had major negative impacts on the livelihoods of surrounding local communities with women the most adversely affected. The East African Crude Oil Pipeline project intended to transport oil from Uganda’s oil fields to the Port of Tanga, Tanzania, has led to massive physical and economic displacement of people. The project will also impact negatively 5 several wetlands and farmland across the region with oil spills from the pipeline posing worrying risks. Women have and will continue to suffer the worst of the resultant negative externalities both as care givers but also because of their dependence on the environment for their day to day living. The research calls on government to pivot from its current extractivist development model to focus on a more sustainable development path that respects the environment and is in line with global climate goals. It also appeals to the IMF and World Bank to publicly commit not to participate in financing oil and gas projects including the East African Crude Oil pipeline and to support efforts to wean the Ugandan economy off its reliance on oil extraction as a revenue source. Lastly it demands that government increases meaningful consultation with womenled communities on their development aspirations which should then be translated into actionable policy. Research on the Influence of International Financial Institutions on Uganda’s COVID – 19 Recovery Agenda