Prime
Govt in new drive to make NDP III work
Uganda's Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda says government will aim at ensuring efficacy in implementation. PHOTO/FILE/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said more reviews are underway to address hindrance to quality service delivery and ensure value for money.
Government has introduced reforms to fast-track the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP) III, enhance service delivery and efficiency of programmes.
According to Prof Pamela Mbabazi, the chairperson of the National Planning Authority (NPA), the achievement of the targets in national development plans have been hindered by insufficient funding, weak leadership and poor public investment management. Ms Mbabazi also cited policy gaps as well as misappropriation of funds.
The government aims to realise at least 80 per cent of the targets in NDP III, which runs from 2020 to 2025. The main theme of the new plan is “to increase average household income and improve the quality of life of Ugandans”.
Following the less than satisfactory performance of the first two development plans, Cabinet in 2018 proposed reforms to ensure NDP III is a success.
The five priorities were enhancement of value-addition, strengthening private sector capacity to drive growth and create jobs, improve the quality of productive infrastructure, enhance productivity and social wellbeing as well as strengthen the role of the State in guiding and facilitating development.
Government also aims to increase the average monthly nominal household income to Shs632,044 by 2025 from Shs416,000.
Under the reforms, a new platform, Public Policy Executive Oversight Forum (APEX), will coordinate planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring to ensure seamless operations.
The platform comprises the Ministry for Presidency, Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and NPA.
Their role is to ensure citizens receive improved services while providing value for investment.
“Cabinet discussed and approved reforms presented by the select subcommittee of Parliament … aimed at strengthening ... project preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation for sustainable results,” Minister of the Presidency Esther Mbayo said at the inaugural meeting in Kampala last Thursday.
Under the APEX, the platform will ensure alignment between the plan and annual budgets to address funding gaps, establish a monitoring, evaluation and learning framework aligned to the NDPIII, and also develop a reporting framework for government agencies and local governments.
“This reform will use evidence to inform the Executive and other stakeholders on the extent specific interventions have been successful on the citizens and use the same evidence to inform quality development. The mission is to facilitate accountability, uptake and learning of results for effective public sector policy management,” Minister Mbayo.
Sanctions will also be imposed on individuals and implementing agencies that fail to deliver results, while the well performing entities will be rewarded.
The platform will also focus on eliminating wastage of government resources through corruption and poor quality services.
“The APEX platform is a game changer for public policy management in this country. A strengthened coordination and implementation by the Office of the Prime Minister, and oversight from the President we strongly believe will enhance NDP IIIs chances of achieving the desired minimum of 80 per cent of its set targets,” Prof Mbabazi said.
Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said more reviews are underway to address hindrance to quality service delivery and ensure value for money.
“These reforms are meant to save money to ensure that resources are more optimally utilised and, therefore, there will be more money available to do work and ... less borrowing,” Dr Rugunda said.
