Prime
To achieve real growth, we must prioritise agriculture, govt says
Mr Hamson Obua
What you need to know:
- Government says there is need to focus on policy implementation to support agriculture and service sector development as well as enhance industrialisation and Information and Communication Technology
Government has said there is need for a shift in policy implementation if Uganda is to achieve real growth.
The shift, Mr Hamson Obua, the Government Chief Whip, said during the 11th Institute of Certified Public Accountant of Uganda (ICPAU) Economic Forum in Entebbe yesterday, which is expected to end on Friday, should focus on policy implementation to support agriculture and service sector development as well as enhance industrialisation and Information and Communication Technology.
This, he said, will support attainment of real growth as set out in Vision 2040 that seeks to lift households incomes.
“Agriculture plays an essential role in sustaining and driving the economy. Majority of our population is still employed in agriculture. We need to develop the sector to increase productivity and expand the market for the agricultural products,” Mr Obua said, noting that agriculture is not only the backbone of Uganda’s economy, but is a source of food and other raw materials.
Data from the Agriculture Annual Survey by Uganda Bureau of Statistics indicates that agriculture employs about 7.18 million households, many of which are engaged in crop production.
Concentration of agriculture
Majority of agricultural households are in south and north Buganda, which contribute 11.8 percent and 11.6 percent, respectively while the Karamoja sub-region has the lowest percentage of 2.7 percent.
Mr Obua also indicated that beyond agriculture, there was need to promote industrial development in the countryside by ensuring that every region has industries that provide real employment, which, as he said, will also increase value addition to agricultural products.
He also noted that investment in Information and Communication Technology was necessary to digitize the economy, which will eventually reduce poverty as well as improve access to information, health and education services and create new sources of income and employment.
The size of the economy has increased to Shs184.3 trillion from Shs162.9 trillion due to growth in the services sector, grew by 6.2 percent in the 2021/22 financial year, compared to 4.1 percent in the previous year.
However, on his part Ms Josephine Ossiya, the ICPAU president, said focus must be widened to other areas, among which include cooperative societies as a driver for socio-economic transformation, labour export, education sector reforms and oil and gas, among others.
As we talk of the Vision 2040, there is need to increase productivity in the economy; agriculture and all sectors so that we can make progress becoming a upper middle income country,”
