The newly developed fourth National Development Plan
(NDPIV) is ready to be implemented with effect from the beginning of the financial
year 2025/2026.
President Museveni launched the NDPIV on his arrival
at Kololo ceremonial ground where Parliament was sitting for the budget ceremony.
The plan that will run betweenFY2025/26 to FY 2029/30 is expected to
feature in President Museveni’s speech later Thursday.
According to the Ministry of Finance and the National Planning
Authority the new plan comes at a critical point in Uganda’s development
trajectory.
It is the fourth plan in the implementation of Uganda
Vision 2040 that aims at transforming the Ugandan society from a peasant to a
modern and prosperous country by 2040.
The plan particularly kick starts the second half of implementation
of this Vision. It is the last plan in the implementation of the Global Agenda
2030 on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is formulated within the
context of the East African Vision 2050 and the Africa Agenda 2063.
It is also the first Plan in the implementation of Government’s
Strategy to grow the economy ten-fold by 2040, a strategy that aims to fast
track the realization of socio-economic transformation.
Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija said it is part of the
development plans implemented by the current administration including Uganda’s
Vision 2024.
“The first half of Uganda’s Vision 2024 started in 2010.
With the implementation of the first five-year national development plan. And
thereafter NDPII and NDPIII which ends this financial year” said Kasaija.
///Cue In “The initial years …….
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“We are now in the phase of social economic
transformation to facilitate wealth creation and prosperity” he remarked.
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Cue Out …. 2024/2025”///
The new plans is parts of the Uganda Vision 2040 which targets
of 8.5 percent growth in the economy. Vision 2024 targets of reaching upper
middle income-status with GDP of USD 581 billion and per capita income of USD
9,500 will not be realized.
Kasaija said the (NDPIV) is a crucial facilitator of the 10-fold
growth strategy launched in 2023.
The 10-fold growth strategy increase in the size of the
economy is required to bring back the economy on the critical path to attainment
of the Uganda Vision 2040 targets in the remaining 15 years of the Vision.
The Fourth
Nation Development Plan (NDPIV) is therefore the first of the three 5-year NDPs
that will deliver the 10-fold growth strategy which is expected to be achieved
by doubling the size of the economy every after five years.
Commenting about the new plan, the
Permanent Secretary Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industries and Fisheries, David Kasura-Kyomukama said there are six objectives and seven
main outcomes that will guide our work under the agro-industrialization
programme.
“The six
objectives of the agro-industrialization programme are as follows: To sustainably increase production and
productivity in agriculture, to improve harvest and post-harvest handling and
storage, to develop, operationalize, and optimize value addition infrastructure,”
said Kasura-Kyomukama.
The other objective
according to Kasura-Kyomukama is to increase
access to agricultural finance and insurance, to increase market access and
competitiveness of agricultural products in domestic and international markets and
to strengthen coordination, legal and institutional framework for ago-industry.
“As
implementers, we will maintain the usage of available online platforms, the
media and the agricultural extension structures to ensure that you are provided
with the necessary information and advisory support, along with updates on
opportunities and work that is being done” said Kasura-Kyomukama.
“Having
picked lessons and areas for improvement from NDP III, we hope that our work
through the implementing institutions will deliver the following outcomes: The
first one is, increased agriculture sector growth rate from 5.1% which we
achieved in financial year 2023/24 to 8%”
From the
agriculture sector the plan aspires to increase export value of priority
commodities and their processed products from USD 2.5 million to USD 4.8
million and a reduced import value of agro-based products from USD 1096 million
to USD 600 million and a 50% increase in the yield of priority agricultural
commodities.
