Recently, the Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, launched a development framework meant to transform Uganda from a peasantry to a modern and prosperous country within 30 years.
The framework seeks to accelerate agriculture growth, value addition to products, human resource and skills development, health improvement, industrialisation and boosting information technology.
Issues like life expectancy, literacy and the gross domestic product per capita have been given priority in the new economic roadmap.
At present the agricultural sector which forms the backbone of the economy is largely characterised by primary methods of production with small scattered farms.
This nature of the agricultural sector accounted for the economic stagnation and political insecurity that took place in the 1970s and early 1980s and eroded the possibility of commercial agriculture.
However, with the transformation of agriculture, we will register high economic growth.
The framework for development has also prioritised the health sector. A healthy population is a fulcrum for economic development.
The other priority area of the framework is promoting literacy. A boost in literacy will promote human resource and skills development hence increase the level of innovativeness among the people.
The education sector in the 2007/2008 financial budget was allocated 16% of the total budget, that is sh767b, but the sector still feels suffocated. Therefore, focus on this sector is a step in the right direction for Uganda.
Lastly, industrialisation and value addition to products is expected to create more jobs which will positively affect the labour market. Currently, institutions of learning are churning out 400,000 Ugandans every year. However, half of this number does not get employed.
A country with substantial natural resources should not be struggling. Having enjoyed peace in the bigger part of the country for the last 20 years, the new development framework is a challenge to each one of us to take part in the development of our country.
The writer is the human resource and performance management officer of Centenary Bank
