Uganda stagnates in human development

By Mary Karugaba

Uganda is still ranked among the worst performing countries in human development, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report has revealed.

In a new report, Human Development 2013, Uganda is ranked 161 out of 182 countries in human development, a position the country has held for the last three years.

Launching the report in Kampala, United Nations Development Programe (UNDP) senior economic advisor Alex Warren-Rodrigues pointed out that although Uganda’s global ranking has not changed, it has made tremendous stride in education and health compared to 20 years ago.

This financial year, the government allocated close to sh1.4 trillion to the education sector. However much of the money was from donors and international financial institutions. For the last 25 years, the government introduced free education, which has been boosted a lot the education sector and Uganda has been viewed as a role model Africa.

 “Today, Ugandans are better off than they were 20 years ago despite the fact that the rankings have remained the same.  Life expectancy has improved and the education levels have also improved. However, we note that maternal mortality rate among women and the quality of education remain an issue that need to be addressed,” Rodrigues said.

The country is still below average in provision of basic human needs to stimulate human and economic growth, the report adds. The report however emphasizes that economic growth alone does not automatically translate into human development progress.
 “Pro-poor policies and significant investments in people’s capabilities can expand access to decent work and provide for sustainable progress,” the report says.  

To sustain human development for the generations to come, Rodrigues said, Uganda and other countries need to address the issues of inequality, unemployment, democracy and education.

A 2010 National MDG report, which was produced by the Ministry of Finance, highlighted child and maternal health as areas of particular concern, where unless immediate action is undertaken, Uganda is likely to miss (by far) it’s 2015 MDG targets.

During the debate, experts predicted that Uganda may be far from attaining Human Development Index in the near future due to stringent conditions by developed nations and international financial institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Human Development Index is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, developing, or underdeveloped country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life.

The experts argued that western countries need to loosen their policies on trade, to enable poor countries carry out trade with them.