DST Ocailap urges Local Gov’t Leaders to prepare work plans aligned with Uganda’s growth strategies.

The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development carried out Local Government regional consultative meetings in different parts of the country for the 2025/26 National Budget.

The objectives of these engagements according to the ministry experts include: Providing feedback on the recommendations made during the last consultations for the budget of FY 2024/25, Provide Gov't strategic direction & the Budget Strategy for FY 2025/26, Convey the outcomes of the just concluded negotiations on conditional grants for FY 2025/26 among other issues.

The teams from the ministry conducted workshops in Lira, Jinja, Mbale, Masaka, Hoima, Fort Portal, Mbarara, Kabale, Arua, Gulu, and Kampala for the workshops following the National Budget Conference.

During the workshop in Jinja, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury Patrick Ocailap while closing the two day Budget Consultations, applauded the participants for actively engaging in the discussions, adding that their contributions will sharpen the focus of the budget for FY 2025/26.

Ocailap urged the LG leaders to go and do wider consultations in their respective districts, adding that the workplans they are going to prepare should be aligned to the NDPIV priorities and the tenfold growth strategy.

“Government is now focused on capitalizing households so that they can be lifted from subsistence economy to the money economy- full monetisation of the economy which will ultimately contribute to the economic transformation of the country” he said

He said that besides other ongoing programs such as GROW, Emyooga & INVITE, Ocailap said PDM alone will avail about Shs 5 trillion in the villages of Uganda in a period of 5 years, while reiterating the four anchor sectors of the 10-fold growth strategy of: Agro- industrialization, Tourism Development, Mineral Development including Gas & Oil as well as Science,Technology and Innovation including ICT.

In Arua, Minister of State for Investment & Privatisation Evelyn Anite and State Minister for Northern Uganda Kenneth Omona are led the consultations on the budget for FY 2025/26.

Anite said the NDP4 set to commence next FY is consistent with H.E the President’s guidance on the ambitious plan to grow the economy 10-fold by 2040.

“Growing the economy ten-fold by 2040 requires shifting to a higher growth trajectory of propelling the economy to double-digit growth; raising the tax-to-GDP ratio to 30%; raising per capita GDP from the current USD 1,146 to USD 700,” said the Minister.

She said these aspirations will be actualized through the four key growth areas (ATMS), adding that the government shall finance the budget for FY 2025/26 using domestically generated resources as well as external resources.

In Hoima City, the Acting Commissioner of Budget Policy and Evaluation, John Muheirwoha, emphasized that the objective of the consultative meeting is to provide feedback on the recommendations made during last consultations for the Budget of FY 2024/25, Provide Government’s Strategic Direction and the Budget Strategy for FY 2025/26 and convey the outcomes of the recently concluded negotiations on conditional grants for FY 2025/26 among others.

 He said the recommendations from these consultations will guide the finalization of the FY 2025/26 budget. On the issue of financing for maintenance of district urban and community access roads (DUCAR), he said effective FY 2023/24, Ushs 1bn was provided under Uganda Road Fund. He noted that this allocation has been maintained in the budget for FY 2024/25 and FY 2025/26 to enable LGs to improve their road networks. ” I implore you to prioritize maintenance of the most productive road network to stimulate economic activity within your respective districts,” said the Minister