How NRM Manifesto, NDP IV sync to spur Uganda’s transformation agenda

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OPINION

By Willis Bashaasha

On January 7, 2025, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, together with the National Planning Authority (NPA), presented to Parliament the National Development Plan IV (NDP IV).

This is the fourth of six National Development Plans (NDPs), designed to implement the Uganda Vision 2040, approved by cabinet in 2007, for transforming the Ugandan society from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country.

The alignment of the manifesto and the NDPIV

At the beginning of this Financial Year, 2024/25, the NDP IV was ushered in, replacing the National Development Plan (NDPIII). In NDP III, the alignment wasn’t as intentional as in NDP IV.

The NDP III introduced a new planning and budgeting architecture called the “programme approach”.

This was a fundamental shift from the “sectoral approach”, which was the basis for planning and budgeting for the past years.

Necessity for alignment between the Manifesto, NDPIV

Whereas the two documents are drawn at different times and by different interested parties, this alignment is important, and this is why:

First and foremost, the NDP provides the National Planning Framework, which informs the budget. Therefore, any idea outside the given NDP— unless it is of an emergency nature— may miss out on funding.

Secondly, Manifesto ideas (commitments, promises), upon being assumed by the Government, form the blueprint or central focus of its service delivery agenda. These commitments must then be prioritised in the government’s planning and budgeting framework to fulfil its social contract with citizens. 

This, therefore, means that the alignment is of necessity to avoid contradictions both in planning and budgeting.

Also, aligning the NDP and the manifesto helps to facilitate coherence and coordination in the Government’s approach to service delivery.

Once this is achieved, it ensures that there is systematic implementation (monitoring and evaluation) of the government’s service delivery agenda while avoiding overlaps or confusion amongst the different service delivery structures.

Fourthly, the NDP outlines the overall outlook of the government’s service delivery agenda, while the manifesto operationalises it into workable programmes that can be effectively assessed and quantified into the government’s growth and development parameters.

How the NDP IV & NRM Manifesto 2026-2031 Align

In the 2026 -31 NRM manifesto, dubbed “Protecting our Gains”, there was an intentional effort to align it with the NDPIV. I believe it is important to clearly highlight this synchrony so as to help all relevant stakeholders to appreciate how the manifesto action areas fit within the different programmes prescribed by the NDPIV as we tackle the country’s socioeconomic development agenda.

The Shared Vision for National Transformation within the two Docs

The two planning documents are synchronised in vision, strategy, and action. Together, they provide a coherent roadmap for achieving the President’s long-cherished goal of monetising the entire economy and ensuring that every Ugandan becomes a producer, rather than a mere consumer.

This is inherent in the two frameworks’ profound objective of raising household incomes and delivering full monetisation of the economy through sustainable industrialisation for inclusive growth, employment, and wealth creation

The alignment broken down

The NDPIV highlights 18 broad programme areas, which are then broken down by the manifesto into clear, actionable commitments which the government intends to deliver to the citizenry.

For instance, for the NDP IV’s Agro-industrialisation programme, the manifesto commitments thereunder include:  Irrigation and agricultural mechanisation, post-harvest management, adding value to agricultural raw materials, investing more intentionally in value addition to all agricultural raw materials before export, and increasing market access for our wealth creators.

Under the NDP‘s Sustainable Extractives industry programme, government intends to; explore more, quantify and add value to our minerals through; capitalising the Uganda National Mining Company to invest in minerals value addition in collaboration with the private sector; expedite redevelopment of Kilembe Mines, complete the EACOP and pump out the first oil, and construct the National Oil Refinery to produce refined petroleum products, among others.

To realise the NDP’s aspiration for tourism development, the manifesto outlines, among other commitments, to; aggressively brand Uganda both locally and internationally, invest in tourism infrastructure, and undertake protected area boundary maintenance to combat poaching and illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife products. 

Under the NDP’s Innovation, Technological development and transfer programme, the manifesto breaks down projects such as: establishing science and technology parks; increasing EV charging infrastructure and E-Bus transit hubs; complete upgrade of the Mpoma Earth Station to support weather forecasting, land mapping, and disaster prevention. This is on top of modernising indigenous herbal medicine to make it commercially viable and supporting the commercialisation of market-ready innovations.

To develop the private sector (NDP IV programme), the manifesto intends to continue providing the sh100m and sh300m PDM cash per parish in rural areas and the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, respectively, and provide an additional sh15m per parish to cater for elected leaders.

The Government will also create a start-up fund for university graduates who have not been employed for two years after graduation; continue funding Emyooga, UDB, UDC, ACF, Small Business Recovery fund, Presidential Hubs and Skilling Centres, women fund (GROW), export guarantee scheme (INVITE), and also open up regional offices for UDB to improve access to affordable, patient capital.

The government also commits to invest in young people through enforcing the Copyright & Neighbouring Rights law to protect artistes, provide more money to capitalise the revolving fund for artists, and also ensure that the 2027 AFCON is a success.

For governance and security, some of the manifesto commitments include: continued conduct of free and fair elections, promotion of affirmative action at all levels of government, strengthening the electoral commission’s capacity and continued support to the IPOD.

The UPDF will be professionalised further, on top of establishing and operationalising a National Service programme to build patriotism. A sub-county policing model will be implemented to improve the efficiency of the police, to which more personnel will be recruited to achieve a ratio of 1:500. These will then be given specialised training to handle modern challenges, on top of being provided with modern equipment, including body cameras and protective gear.

The NDP IV is also intent on digital transformation. This will be actualised in the manifesto commitments, including: increased internet connectivity to cover the entire country, starting with strategic areas, including educational and health institutions, government institutions, tourism sites, AFCON facilities, hotspots in the greater Kampala metropolitan area (GKMA) and regional cities, security installations, and industrial parks.

Smart classrooms will also be introduced nationwide, while educational institutions will be fully connected to Wi-Fi. Social media tech giants will also be engaged to enable young Ugandans to monetise their content.

Those and more examples that couldn’t be exhausted here show the clear coordination between the planning and execution of government projects, which will enhance efficiency and productivity in the government’s service delivery agenda.

A call to key stakeholders

As clearly stated above, the synergy between the NRM Manifesto 2026–2031 and the NDP IV (2025–2030) provides the strongest foundation for Uganda’s final leap into the middle-income status.

What remains now is for all implementing agencies, technocrats, and leaders at every level to align their work plans and budgets accordingly.

As the Manifesto Implementation Unit, therefore, we have one key prayer to Parliament and all stakeholders: ensure that the Manifesto commitments receive the requisite funding for implementation. This will help us to quickly achieve the aspirations in the Manifesto and the NDP IV, which we now know are not competing, but rather mutually reinforcing instruments of one coherent development vision championed by the NRM government.

The writer is the Director, Manifesto Implementation Unit, Office of the President