Why govt should be reformed and restructured

May 23, 2016

I suggest a split of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) into two leaner ministries of Agriculture and Animal Industry. For Agriculture, crops-research and policy-supervision of implementers, be core mandates.

By Peter Wamboga-Mugirya

Mr. President, as you appoint a new cabinet, I propose you institute urgent reforms to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of Government. Their mandates are certainly some of the reasons for apparent ineffective service-delivery. Also appointment of Members of Parliament (MPs) as ministers is a burden on individuals who have to lead a constituency and a ministry - at the same time.

I suggest a split of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) into two leaner ministries of Agriculture and Animal Industry. For Agriculture, crops-research and policy-supervision of implementers, be core mandates.

Directorates for Crop Resources, Agricultural Extension Services (AES-single Spine) and National Agro-Advisory Services for wealth creation be set up. Seeds, Agro-Chemicals, Agro-Biotechnology and Irrigation Services be implemented.

These four should get laws at ministry and boards for effective implementation. Irrigation be scaled up from current four schemes: Mubuku, Agoro, Doho and Olweny, to a country-wide national programme. Irrigation should be researched for technology-appropriateness, local user-friendliness and sustainability.

For animal industry, livestock and fisheries be core sectors and in-between Agriculture and Animal Industry ministries, be re-established a seven-pillar Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA). Under it, create a National Irrigation Board (NIB) to deploy a robust irrigation system and set up a National Agro-Processing and Value-Addition Board (NAPROVAB) to oversee value-addition.

However, this process should be first tested, evaluated and validated as locally-workable. And AES should integrate NAADSWEC's advice on farm-enterprises and inputs, with in-built inspection, monitoring, quality assurance mechanisms. Blend advice to farmers on managing droughts via irrigation; better agronomy and post-harvest handling [addressed by training farmers to store/process produce], with drought-tolerant seeds for good germination, to realise highly-desired quantity outputs. BBW-resistant bananas, CMD/CBSD-resistant cassava and Bt/drought-tolerant (Dt) maize developed by NARO be urgently introduced via timely-delivery by AES/NAADSWEC, to ensure better yields and better farmer-incomes. Two non-MPs: the suave, hard-working military strategist General, Salim Saleh (Caleb Akandwanaho Rufu) and Dr. Abed Bwanika, a liberal politician/veterinary scientist would be effective Ministers of Agriculture and Animal Industry, respectively.                                  

Relatedly, a new fully-fledged Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MoSTI) be set up - out of the current State Ministerial portfolio of Science and Technology. Under MoSTI, Departments and Agencies for research in Agriculture (NARO), Medical (UVRI/MRC), Industry (UIRI), Environment and National Institute for Research in Energy (NIRE) be setup.

The Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) currently under Finance Ministry should form MoSTI's core staff. MoSTI should advise and guide other MDAs on mainstreaming science and technology. Two State ministers [Science] and [Technology-Innovations] be appointed. MoSTI should particularly link Agriculture and Animal Industry ministries via UDC. Crop and animal raw materials i.e. grains/legumes, meats, horns, hooves, hides/skins e.t.c, be processed to add-value, create jobs and market better-price-fetching products.   

UPDF, Police and Prisons jointly set up Youth Agricultural Training and Agro-Industrial Production Centers (YATAIPROCs). Here, suspects, criminals; lawless and law-abiding youth be employed by both choice and coercion. Most UPDF, Police and Prisons' food and other needs be produced locally by the YATAIPROCs located in seven regions of Uganda.

Large-scale maize, cassava, bananas, beans, oil-seeds (soya, sesame, groundnuts, cotton), coffee and improved tropical fruits (grafted, cross-bred, genetically-engineered against fruit-flies menace) and eucalyptus e.t.c, be bred, grown and processed into value-added products at YATAIPROCs. Exotic, crossed and local livestock i.e. cattle, goats, pigs, poultry and fish breeds be prioritized.

Improved and local poultry breeds i.e. kuroilers be bred and produced as a priority for consumption, local trade and export. YATAIPROCs should train all youth (literates and illiterates) to be centers of excellence in innovative youth employment, value-addition and contribution to crime-prevention/reduction. Textiles and leather enterprises (e.g. cotton and banana fiber-spinning, weaving and hides/skins tanning e.t.c.) to make UPDF, Police and Prisons' uniforms, shoes/boots, tents; belts, bags. YATAIPROCs should also produce building materials for UPDF, Police and Prisons barracks construction/maintenance.

Teargas and pepper-sprays are today standard crowd-control tools. YATAIPROCs should grow kamulaali as teargas/pepper-spray raw material. With this, Uganda would stop teargas/pepper-spray importation. Revenues from YATAIPROCs' products be ploughed back into their expansion and systematic upgrading of industrial processes.

Agro-scientists [plant and poultry/animal breeders, botanists, agronomists and soil specialists] should be engaged by YATAIPROCs to train and lead research and production. The science and technical ministry of Information and Communication Technology, should be phased out. Its mandate transferred to the National Information and Technology Authority (NITA), where policy-wise, it is supervised by the Works, Transport and Communication Ministry.

A technical ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives be reformed, by removing Cooperatives, which goes to a new "Ministry of Labour and Cooperatives (MoLCs) which will set up a National Cooperatives Board (NACO-OB) to re-introduce and strengthen cooperative unions (CUs) and co-operative societies (CSs). When fully re-instated, then NACO-OB's role would be quality assurance and regulation for CUs and CSs to be profitable. I have suggested these ideas For God and My Country.         

The writer is a development communication journalist

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