Legislators are calling for a special ministry that will only cover the planning sector of the country as National Planning Authority develops the Vision 2040.
Legislators are calling for a special ministry that will only cover the planning sector of the country as National Planning Authority develops the Vision 2040.
The Members of Parliament on the National Economy Committee observe that government has for a while ignored the activities of the National Planning Authority (NPA). The Committee chairperson, Stephen Biraahwa Mukitale and his vice Micahel Mawanda, say planning is a crucial aspect if projected economic growth is to be achieved. They believe the country will be planned better if a separate ministry is created. Currently planning is under the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
The calls come as NPA is developing the Vision 2040 aimed at transforming Uganda from a predominantly peasant and low income country to a competitive upper middle income country with per capita income of about 9,500 US Dollars.
According to Dr. Kisamba Mugerwa, the NPA chairperson, the vision will harness the existing opportunities in the areas of oil and gas, tourism, ICT, labour industries and agriculture.
Dr. Mugerwa, a former minister of agriculture, says it is envisaged that Uganda will graduate to middle income segment by 2017 and reach per capita of about 9,500 US Dollar by 2040.
The draft Vision 2040 is expected to be launched as Uganda Marks 50 years of Independence in October. The draft stipulates that to achieve faster socio-economic transformation government will invest in better urban systems that will in turn be centres of industrial development.
While some MPs support the planning strategy, others have cast doubt on its implementation. Hatwib Katoto, the Katerera legislator, is skeptical on the Vision 2040. He questions how government will be able to implement this one, given that other ventures have failed before.
Former ethics minister and MP for Kyamuswa County, Tim Lwanga, says the strategy will be good if it emphasises production and remuneration. He notes that low productivity arises from low payments.
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Uganda has had another strategy dubbed Vision 2025 whose implementation was not particularly successful. Matia Kasaija, the Minister of State for Planning, says the Vision 2025 failed because of lack of a defined implementation framework owing to lack of policy, legal and institutional frameworks. Government has since learnt from the challenges of Vision 2025, according to Minister Kasaija, and streamlined the national planning process.
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Recently, cabinet approved the national vision statement of; “A transformed Ugandan Society from a peasantry to a modern and prosperous country within 30years.” It is in this light that the draft National Vision 2040 will represent national aspirations and strategies to foster faster transformation through re-engineering Uganda’s development for prosperity.
Ruth Mubiri
Freelancer