Uganda Vision 2040

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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.

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,industrialisation, 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; urbanisation; human resource; and peace, security and defence.

Projections indicate that Uganda will graduate into a lower middle income country by 2017, progressing to 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. To achieve this transformation the average real GDP growth rate will have to be consistent at about 8.2 per cent per annum translating into total GDP of about USD 580.5bn with a projected population of 61.3 million in 2040.

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 networkwith 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 referralhospitals 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 urbanisation, infrastructure development, and agricultural commercialisation 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 realisation 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 organisations 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 annualbudgets.

The financing of this Vision will be mainly by the government, CSOs, development partners and the private sector. Government will mobilise 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.

There will be regular review, monitoring and evaluation of Vision 2040 in line with the mechanisms provided for in the Comprehensive National Development Planning Framework policy.

Download the Full Vision 2040