What is Uganda Vision 2040
Uganda Vision 2040 provides development paths and strategies to operationalize Uganda’s Vision statement which is “A Transformed Ugandan Society from a Peasant to a Modern and Prosperous Country within 30 years” as approved by Cabinet in 2007. It aims at transforming Uganda from a predominantly peasant and low income country to a competitive upper middle income country. #www.publicopinions.net
It builds on the progress that has been made in addressing the strategic bottle-necks that have constrained Uganda’s socio-economic development since independence, including; ideological disorientation, weak private sector, underdeveloped human resources, inadequate infrastructure, small market, lack of industrialization, underdeveloped services sector, underdevelopment of agriculture, and poor democracy, among others.
The Vision 2040 is conceptualized around strengthening the fundamentals of the economy to harness the abundant opportunities around the country. The identified opportunities include: oil and gas, tourism, minerals, ICT business, abundant labour force, geographical location and trade, water resources, industrialization, and agriculture among others that are to date considerably under-exploited. Achieving the transformational goal will thus depend on the country’s capacity to strengthen the fundamentals including: infrastructure (energy, transport, water, oil and gas, and ICT); Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation (STEI); land use and management; urbanization; human resource; and peace, security and defense.
Projections indicate that Uganda will graduate into an upper middle income category by 2032 and attaining its target of USD9500 in 2040. Projections further indicate that Uganda will be a first world country in the next fifty years.
Uganda Vision 2040 identifies key core projects that need to be started including:
- A Hi-tech ICT city and associated ICT infrastructure;
- Large irrigation schemes in different parts of the country;
- Phosphate industry in Tororo;
- Iron ore industry in Muko, Kabale;
- Five regional cities ( Gulu, Mbale,Kampala, Mbarara, and Arua) and five strategic cities ( Hoima, Nakasongola, Fortportal, Moroto, and Jinja);
- Four international airports;
- A standard gauge railway network with high speed trains;
- Oil Refinery and associated pipeline infrastructure;
- Multi-lane paved national road net work linking major towns, cities and other strategic locations;
- Globally competitive skills development centres;
- Nuclear power and hydro power plants (Ayago, Isimba, Karuma, and Murchison Bay);
- Science and Technology parks in each regional city;
- International and national referral hospitals in each regional cities.
However, to achieve all this, some key strategies and policy reforms must take place. These include:
- Review the architecture of government service delivery system to act as a unit, harness synergies and deliver public services efficiently and effectively.
- Pursue policies aimed at leapfrogging especially in the areas of Science, Technology, innovation, and engineering; human resource development; public sector management; and private sector development.
- Develop and implement a National science technology and engineering system that will help in initiating, importing, modifying and diffusing new technologies.
- Front-load investments in infrastructure targeting areas of maximum opportunities with focus on oil, energy, transport and ICT.
- Accelerate industrialization through upgrading and diversification to effectively harness local resources, offshoring industries and develop industrial clusters along value chains.
- Make land reforms to facilitate faster acquisition of land for planned urbanization, infrastructure development, and agricultural commercialization among other developments.
- Pursue a planned urbanization policy that will bring about better urban systems that enhance productivity, livability and sustainability while releasing land for commercializing agriculture.
- Strengthen the three arms of government and ensure checks and balances and taking decisions that have national interest: first, ministers will not be members of Parliament to foster separation of powers; and second, the judiciary will be reformed to make it more independent and proactive.
- Develop and nurture a national value system to change citizens’ mind sets, promote patriotism, enhance national identity and nurture a conducive ideological orientation.
- Accelerate government reforms in the education system and the curriculum to obtain a globally competitive human resource with skills relevant to the development paradigm.
- Review and strengthen the foreign policy to enhance collaboration in accordance with existing and future agreements, standards and protocols within the framework of East African Community, other regional blocs, African Union and global community, for the realization of this Vision.
- Directly invest in strategic areas to stimulate the economy and facilitate private sector growth.
- Develop and implement a specific policy to attract and retain top rated professionals in the Universities to make Uganda a Center of Excellence in Education in the region.
- Establish a Uganda infrastructure fund to significantly lower the cost of infrastructure development.
- Develop a universal health insurance system through public private partnership.
The Vision implementation will be spearheaded by H.E The President but remains a responsibility of every citizen in government, private sector, civil society, political organizations and any other institutions. As already noted, it will be implemented in line with the comprehensive National Development Planning Framework. Interventions will be sequenced and detailed in the 5-year national development plans and annual budgets.
The financing of this Vision will be mainly by the government, CSOs, development partners and the private sector. Government will mobilize resources using conventional and innovative nonconventional means of financing. These will include; tax and non-tax revenues, revenue from oil and gas, Public Private Partnerships, concessional loans and grants, borrowing from domestic and international markets. The revenue from oil and gas will be used to kick start major infrastructure development projects to enhance the country’s competitiveness. The domestic and international borrowing shall include; domestic and sovereign infrastructure bonds, venture and investment funds.
FACTS & FIGURES ABOUT UGANDA
- Uganda is a landlocked country bordered by Kenya in the east, Sudan in the north, Democratic Republic of the Congo in the west, Rwanda in the southwest and Tanzania in the south.
- Uganda’s total land area is 241,559 sq km. About 37,000 sq km of this area is occupied by open water while the rest is land. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, which it shares with Kenya and Tanzania.
- Uganda is located on the East African plateau, averaging about 1,100 meters (3,609 ft) above sea level. The plateau generally slopes downwards towards Sudan explaining the northerly tendency of most river flows in the country. Although generally equatorial, the climate is not uniform since the altitude modifies the climate.
- Uganda’s elevation, soil types and predominantly warm and wet climate impart a huge agricultural potential to the country. They also explain the country’s large variety of forests, grasslands and wildlife reserves. Uganda has a total population of about 32 million people.
AREA
Land Area: 199,808 Sq. Km.
Water and Swamps: 41,743 Sq. Km
Total Area: 241,551 Sq. Km.
LOCATION
Latitude: 4012’N and 1029’S
Longitude: 29034’E and 3500’W
ALTITUDE
Minimum (above sea level – Albert Nile): 620 metres
Maximum (above sea level – Mt. Rwenzori):5,110 metres
CLIMATE
Kampala: Annual Mean Temperature: 17.00C
Kampala: Annual Rainfall: 1436.0 mm
LAND USE
Arable Land: 25%
Permanent Crops: 9%
Permanent Pastures:9%
Forests and Woodland: 28%
Other: 29%
MAJOR LANGUAGES
English, Luganda and Kiswahili
RELIGIONS
Roman Catholic: 33%
Protestant: 33%
Muslim: 16%
Indigenous Beliefs: 18%
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
- 2022 Projected Real GDP (% Change) : 4.9
- 2022 Projected Consumer Prices (% Change): 6.1
- Country Population: 43.734 million
- Date of Membership to IMF: September 27, 1963
- Outstanding Purchases and Loans (SDR): 631.75 million (March 31, 2022)
- Special Drawing Rights (SDR): 389.67 million
- Quota (SDR): 361.0 million