Second Public Investment Management Conference
The Minister of State for Planning, Amos Lugoloobi while officiating at the conference at Makerere University said public investment management is a powerful tool for national and socio-economic transformation.
“The infrastructure we have built over the years, the social services that we continue to fund, and the economic opportunities we unlock through our public investments are the very pillars upon which Uganda’s progress rests,” said the Minister.
He said the aspiration to transform Uganda into a high-income economy depends on its ability to manage public investments in a manner that is strategic, efficient, and sustainable, adding that this transformation is paved with both opportunities and formidable challenges.
Lugoloobi said Uganda has several opportunities to tap into to grow the economy beyond the 6%, adding that the youthful population, abundant natural resources, and strategic location in East Africa among other factors present immense potential.
He appreciated the Makerere University PIM Centre of Excellence for continuing to offer capacity building in public investment management, adding that government is committed to deepening the integration of medium-term expenditure frameworks, strengthening revenue mobilisation, and rationalising expenditures to focus on core priorities.
Dr. Donald Kaberuka, former Finance Minister of Rwanda and 7th President of the African Development Bank was the Keynote speaker at the conference under the theme: “Overcoming implementation barriers in Public Investment Management to achieve fiscal sustainability”.
He reiterated the need to equip technocrats with the necessary skills to be able to implement public investments, adding that projects must be technically and politically feasible to be effectively implemented.
Dr.Kaberuka also called for efficient and effective public financial management and programmatic approach to planning and budgeting to achieve balanced economic growth.
The Permanent Secretary and Secretary to Treasury (PSST), Ramathan Ggoobi, said Uganda has made commendable progress in strengthening upstream project preparation and appraisal mechanisms. He however noted that the most pressing challenge that continues to undermine the potential of investments is weakness in implementation and project management.
“Across many Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, we continue to experience persistent delays, cost overruns, fragmented coordination, and suboptimal delivery. These bottlenecks are eroding public trust and slowing the pace of development,” said the PSST.
He said improved implementation and management of public projects must be a top priority, adding that the recent launch of the National Public Investment Management (PIM) Policy provides a robust and unified framework to guide the entire investment cycle from planning and appraisal, through implementation, to post-evaluation.
“It is now incumbent upon all MDAs to institutionalize the Policy’s provisions, align investments with sector priorities, and reinforce compliance through stronger internal systems,” said Ggoobi.
