Bonna Bagaggawale requires hard work
Apr 25, 2010
ALL societies aspire to develop so as to end poverty. The responsibility of any government is the wellbeing of its citizens and income generation is critical and demands that a country pays attention to production and distribution of wealth.<br>
By Felix Kulayigye
ALL societies aspire to develop so as to end poverty. The responsibility of any government is the wellbeing of its citizens and income generation is critical and demands that a country pays attention to production and distribution of wealth.
President Museveni’s speech on advancing Investment Reform in Africa, which he presented at a conference on December 10, 2008, shows he is determined to end poverty.
Development requires attention to the important areas indicated below.
lAn unfavourable security environment discourages both external and internal investment.
Thus, security is not only a constitutional obligation, but a critical infrastructure for the development of a modern economy.
While the rest of Uganda enjoyed security in the last 24 years, northern Uganda was insecure. This did not only undermine economic and social infrastructure, but also depleted the national treasury to end the insurgency.
Even with the insecurity physical infrastructure was not destroyed, for instance, new structures like Kakanyero Hotel in Gulu town and Bomah in Kitgum emerged. Also many trading centres have emerged.
lFood security is the other area to think of when a country wants to develop. To attain food security a consistent agricultural policy with emphasis on modern technology and research is needed.
Furthermore, value addition can guarantee market for agricultural produce.
lThe other area of focus is the transport sector. This provides an effective way of transporting people, goods and services. For industrialisation to take place an efficient and well developed infrustructure is needed.
lAnother key sector for development to take place is education: Education reforms should favour the poor, without compromising the standards.
This requires massive investment in education, commitment on the part of the beaureaucrats and qualified teachers.
lWealth creation is key to development.
There must be income generating ventures for the population, so as to save and have the ability to invest.
Whereas job creation is the responsibility of the Government, in a mixed economy like Uganda’s, the private sector leads in this direction.
The Government ensures a conducive investment climate, which includes creating a tax regime and ensuring an attractive fiscal policy.
To attract direct foreign investment, there is need for business acumen to strike a balance between the local investor and outside investors.
Infrastructural reform in the power and energy sector is critical to development. Sufficient and adequate power supply is needed to sustain the ever increasing demands of industrialisation and a growing economy.
With stability, the population tends to invest in fixed ventures hence less liquidity in circulation. No state can provide free money to the citizens, not only because of incapability, but it is not economically sound and may bring about inflationary tendencies.
The infrastructure will be meaningful to the people if it is being used to market produce as well as opening access to opportunities.
However, when you travel on a first class tarmac road and you see no economic activity, one feels discouraged.
The existing land tenure system, does not promote social and economic progress. Inflexibility in land tenure coupled with a rapid population growth cannot, but leave the common citizen poor. There is a lot of politicking on land, when in reality, everyone, rich or poor, is entitled to the same size of a two by six feet for permanent ownership (in Uganda at least).
The release of land for commercial farming and the industrial sector and other large scale business by the private sector leads to wealth creation.
We live in a dynamic world, an era of contradictory trends shaped by two great forces, one strategic, the other, technical — the advent of the information age.
The scale and pace of recent changes have made traditional means of living requiring a practical approach to the war against poverty.
Change will require those in public service to recognise it as the only way to attaining wealth and development — change in our attitudes towards work and work methods will help us serve the people better.
ALL societies aspire to develop so as to end poverty. The responsibility of any government is the wellbeing of its citizens and income generation is critical and demands that a country pays attention to production and distribution of wealth.
President Museveni’s speech on advancing Investment Reform in Africa, which he presented at a conference on December 10, 2008, shows he is determined to end poverty.
Development requires attention to the important areas indicated below.
lAn unfavourable security environment discourages both external and internal investment.
Thus, security is not only a constitutional obligation, but a critical infrastructure for the development of a modern economy.
While the rest of Uganda enjoyed security in the last 24 years, northern Uganda was insecure. This did not only undermine economic and social infrastructure, but also depleted the national treasury to end the insurgency.
Even with the insecurity physical infrastructure was not destroyed, for instance, new structures like Kakanyero Hotel in Gulu town and Bomah in Kitgum emerged. Also many trading centres have emerged.
lFood security is the other area to think of when a country wants to develop. To attain food security a consistent agricultural policy with emphasis on modern technology and research is needed.
Furthermore, value addition can guarantee market for agricultural produce.
lThe other area of focus is the transport sector. This provides an effective way of transporting people, goods and services. For industrialisation to take place an efficient and well developed infrustructure is needed.
lAnother key sector for development to take place is education: Education reforms should favour the poor, without compromising the standards.
This requires massive investment in education, commitment on the part of the beaureaucrats and qualified teachers.
lWealth creation is key to development.
There must be income generating ventures for the population, so as to save and have the ability to invest.
Whereas job creation is the responsibility of the Government, in a mixed economy like Uganda’s, the private sector leads in this direction.
The Government ensures a conducive investment climate, which includes creating a tax regime and ensuring an attractive fiscal policy.
To attract direct foreign investment, there is need for business acumen to strike a balance between the local investor and outside investors.
Infrastructural reform in the power and energy sector is critical to development. Sufficient and adequate power supply is needed to sustain the ever increasing demands of industrialisation and a growing economy.
With stability, the population tends to invest in fixed ventures hence less liquidity in circulation. No state can provide free money to the citizens, not only because of incapability, but it is not economically sound and may bring about inflationary tendencies.
The infrastructure will be meaningful to the people if it is being used to market produce as well as opening access to opportunities.
However, when you travel on a first class tarmac road and you see no economic activity, one feels discouraged.
The existing land tenure system, does not promote social and economic progress. Inflexibility in land tenure coupled with a rapid population growth cannot, but leave the common citizen poor. There is a lot of politicking on land, when in reality, everyone, rich or poor, is entitled to the same size of a two by six feet for permanent ownership (in Uganda at least).
The release of land for commercial farming and the industrial sector and other large scale business by the private sector leads to wealth creation.
We live in a dynamic world, an era of contradictory trends shaped by two great forces, one strategic, the other, technical — the advent of the information age.
The scale and pace of recent changes have made traditional means of living requiring a practical approach to the war against poverty.
Change will require those in public service to recognise it as the only way to attaining wealth and development — change in our attitudes towards work and work methods will help us serve the people better.