By: Ismael Kasooha
KAMPALA
The Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Nabbanja Robinah has met Local Development Partners group co-chairs led by the United Nations Resident Country Coordinator Susan Namondo and other Ambassadors from the European Union to discuss ways of strengthening the National Partnership Forum (NPF) in the quest of improving the livelihoods of the people.
The meeting took place at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala and was attended by the National Planning Authority Chairperson Prof. Pamela Mbabazi and other technical staff from the government.
PM presiding over the NPF Meeting
Nabbanja while addressing the meeting lauded the Development Partners for responding to Uganda’s request for technical assistance in November 2022 and for the support they had provided to the National Partnership Forum Secretariat.
Nabbanja said that the revitalization of the National Partnership Forum is very important because it is a space where matters of mutual concern are discussed with all the development partners. She appealed to the Development Partners to support the government in its development agenda, especially the Parish Development Model (PDM) and offer training to the Parish Chiefs and other teams managing the fund.
The Chairperson of the National Planning Authority (NPA) Prof. Pamela Mbabazi said that agreeing on a common vision with partners was the way to go if the country was to realise its goal. She noted that although the midterm review of the NDP III indicated that only 17% of the plan had been achieved, the government was determined to address the issues raised therein.
The UN Resident Coordinator Susan Namondo Ngongi said that there was a need to meet regularly to discuss issues pertaining to development. She said that the UN Family injects approximately 2.2b dollars in form of budget support to Uganda and there was need to have best value for money.
The vision of the National Partnership Forum – since its inception – had been to maximize the effectiveness of all forms of cooperation for development for the shared benefit of people, planet, prosperity, and peace, by putting into practice four principles such as Country ownership over the development process, a focus on results, Inclusive development partnerships, and Transparency and mutual accountability.
Group Photo of the Prime Minister, Ministers and Investors
In a related development, the Prime Minister with a team of Ministers also met a delegation of investors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) led by the Crown Prince of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. The delegation and the ministers deliberated on several investment opportunities in Uganda including investment in agro-forestry, food and fruit processing, gold refinery and the health sector.
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