By John V Sserwaniko
On Thursday, new Board members took office at National Planning Authority (NPA) and, ably led by Prof Pamela Kasabiiti Mbabazi, the new leaders began with a general meeting with all Authority employees.
You should have been there to see how the more than 150 employees struggled to fit into the small crowded room that passes for the Authority’s Board room.
Yet for the ED Dr. Joseph Muvawala, this was a perfect opportunity to illustrate the need for increased funding to enable better infrastructure at NPA. Gratefully, not only were the new Board members present but even line Minister David Bahati was and from what he saw he said there is clearly need to urgently prioritize NPA’s infrastructure needs in the Finance Ministry budgeting and resource allocation.
Muvawala also talked about inadequate staffing levels and unattractive remuneration which at some point caused NPA to lose good staff to better-paying Makerere-based Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC). He said the inspiring leadership at NPA has over the years been addressing this (through guidance sessions) and staff these days aren’t easily lured to quit for EPRC.
He also said NPA’s resource envelope is further constrained by unplanned assignments they keep getting from cabinet without proportionate increment on their budget. For instance, having completed the Uganda Airlines feasibility study, resource-constrained NPA has now been assigned by the President to study the possibility of starting a government commercial that will most likely result from merging UDB, PostBank and Housing Finance Bank. This is a complex area requiring finance and banking expertise, which Muvawala said might require outsourcing a private entity to do the job on NPA’s behalf because its human resources are clearly overstretched.
To the delight of Bahati, Muvawala revealed that (as directed by the President) NPA had established the feasibility study unit whose work will be to prepare feasibility studies on all potential projects so that when potential investors are found, time is saved. Sometime back, government had to deal with the embarrassment resulting from an Indian bank that had offered to fund the Namanve industrial park infrastructure (with over Shs500bn) only to be shocked to find there was no feasibility study. Uganda actually lost the opportunity. This is one gap the new NPA will be helping government to bridge.
Bahati said he expects the new NPA (with an expanded Board) to be producing well-modelled data which has embarrassingly been very hard to come by. “Budgeting and Planning should now move together going hand in hand. Gone are the days when the president wants specific information on say how many industries do we have now? How many of the industrial investors are from which country? All these have been challenges which we must now overcome,” Bahati said before presenting some figures illustrating the Ugandan success story that has been accomplished through NPA-spearheaded phased planning contained in NDP I and NDP II that is ending soon.
THE NDP II RESULTS
The impressive figures he read out included the number of active internet users growing to 18.8m as of 2017 (compared 2010’s 8m); power generation growing to 1,838.4MWs by July 2019 (compared to 1986’s 150MWs); tourists arrivals growing to over 1.5m visitors bringing in $1.4bn (compared to 2010’s mere 945,899); life expectancy growing to 63 years (compared to 1998’s 43); infant mortality rate dropping to mere 64 compared to 1986’s 147 (means number of under 5 year old kids dying in every 1,000 born alive); literacy rates growing to 74% (number of adults above 10 years that can read and write); growing export receipts from $3.4bn to $5.3bn as of FY2017/18 (compared to 1986’s mere $347m); growing domestic revenue collection to Shs14trn (compared to 1986’s mere Shs5bn); real GDP growth averaging at 5% during the NDP II period (expected to reach 6.1%) and expanding the economy from 2011’s Shs46.9trn to current Shs101trn.
Bahati added that in the same NDP II period, a number of flagship projects were completed namely Entebbe Express; Isimba Hydro Power plant; Karuma Hydro power plant (ready by June 2019); Uganda Airlines revival and provision of adequate earth-moving equipment to UNRA stations and districts. He remarked it was a blessing Prof Mbabazi & Co were coming on board at the time of stock taking for NDP II and the commencement of the thinking process for NDP III. He hoped their blend of expertise and experience will make his work easier as the sector political head.
He called on staff, management and board to prepare for a phase of hard work because NDP III will focus on industrialization while deepening the integration of science & technology in the planning and implementation processes. This explains why the new Board majority members are scientists. He clarified at the end of the day, NDP III must lead to reduction of the import bill through export promotion and import substitution (currently the import bill stands at $5bn annually); harnessing Uganda’s abundant mineral wealth; consolidating on the peace & stability.
NDP III will also prioritize full exploitation of Uganda’s vast tourism potential. Bahati says in that period, focus will also be on reducing the cost of doing business, cost of electricity (to 5 cents for manufacturers) and cost of transport while deepening the war against corruption.
He implored the new Board to prioritize sectoral planning and improving the quality of Uganda’s human resource through skilling. Saying he knows most of the members personally (in Board member Lydia Wanyoto’s case being work colleagues in the Population Secretariat and in NRM politics), Bahati said he was certain the new Board will easily surmount the task at hand.
BOARD CHAIR
On her part, Prof Mbabazi said most of the challenges (e.g. funding being inadequate) that ED Muvawala enumerated were surmountable and they are going to be overcome. She said many organizations have, through productive engagement with the political leadership of this country, been able to get the executive increase their budget allocation. She too is going to lead the NPA team to achieve it.
“As they say a problem known is a problem solved and in this case we are going to turn all these into opportunities,” she said stressing the importance of a good commander raising the morale of his/her fighters at the start of the war. Saying her team was ready to give effective leadership into the thinking process for NDP III, Prof Mbabazi said she expected team work and unity. “The future belongs to the organized and once we are one strong team and organized, we shall conquer so many things,” she said adding that she believes in open methods of work as opposed to intrigue and rumor-mongering which she said was unfortunately wide spread in Ugandan public institutions.
A social scientist by background (just like Wanyoto), Mbabazi said she believes in evidence-based research, a standard all NPA staffers will be expected to measure up to. She welcomed Bahati’s vow to ensure the Planning and Budgeting function of government go hand in hand. Bahati said he prefers that planning is done first and the budget implications thought about after “because when you are focusing on the resource envelope, that constrains effective planning.” Muvawala had earlier on reflected on a recent debate at Kyankwanzi where some government officials demanded that NPA leaves finance and becomes part of the presidency. But Bahati said that debate had been concluded and NPA would stay under finance ministry.
Having realized from ED Muvawala’s presentation that there is a lot NPA has outputted that remains unknown, Prof Mbabazi said emphasis would also go into popularizing GoU development plans designed by NPA. She envisages strong partnerships and linkages with CSOs and private sector. She also stressed the need to closely work with key stakeholder entities like State House, Finance Ministry and the academia. She also looks forward to increase ordinary citizens’ participation in planning processes as a way of increasing ownership and awareness of the NPA works.
On the welfare question, she commended her predecessor the venerable Prof Kisamba Mugerwa for his relentless efforts to ensure the NPA Staff SACCO was established two years ago. Before calling upon Dr. Matte the SACCO chairman to explain, Muvawala said the SACCO had greatly relieved staff financial problems. Renowned for his openness, Muvawala jokingly remarked that many staffers were choking on personal debts from commercial banks which no longer stress them-because a member can borrow up to Shs70m in one go. Dr. Matte said that, since they are full time being executive BoD members, the new BoD members are free to sign up and become SACCO members. Prof Mbabazi said this is something she would personally be giving serious thought. Muvawala said the last so many months of vacuum at the BoD level haven’t been easy for him as ED as many vital activities (including PEC meetings) have had to stall since the Kisamba departure. (For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755 or email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).
