KAMPALA.
The Head of the State House Investors Protection Unit (SHIPU), Col. Edith Nakalema Tuesday met and held fruitful discussions with the leaders of government agencies.
The meeting held at SHIPU offices in Kampala mainly focused on goals and strategies for promoting Uganda’s national development.
Col. Nakalema revealed that Uganda’s growth aspirations encapsulated in the National Development Plan IV (NDPIV) aim to accelerate the socio-economic transformation of the country.
“The goal of the plan is to achieve higher household incomes, full monetization of the economy, and employment for sustainable socio-economic transformation,” she said.
Col. Nakalema also noted that as heads of government agencies, they hold the positions that they occupy because they have been deemed competent to take up public responsibility.
“Even more important beyond technical capability, we are public servants because we care about the future of this country. Therefore, we cannot afford to miss the opportunity to make a contribution towards securing the future which our NDPIV has charted out,” she urged.
She said what binds the heads of government agencies is not only synergies of working jointly but also to exploit the goodwill amongst themselves to take Uganda forward.
“The clarion call to advance socio-economic transformation therefore enjoins us to simultaneously deliver tangible results on every front of national service.”
Col. Nakalema further noted that as stewards of the public good, it is incumbent upon the heads of government agencies to strategically engage on the development constraints that undermine the quality of life.
“The season is now for us to move beyond being the “conveyor belt of service delivery” and put up a united front as a joined-up government not to meet our performance targets but to drive national transformation,” she said.
“As holders of public office, the onus to ponder on the dividends we can generate for citizens is impelling. What will count most upon our retirement from public service is the difference we will have made to the progress of natives.”
On the other hand, Col. Nakalema urged her fellow leaders to engage through the media to show the citizenry what they have achieved so far and where they’re heading.
Dr. Barirega Akankwasah, the Executive Director, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) said the idea to come together as heads of government agencies, was meant to share ideas on how they can stabilize and promote the work of government to ensure development.
“We should share views and ideas on how we can be relevant in supporting continued sustainability of peace and development of our country especially during a period of transition from one government to another,” said Dr. Barirega, who also serves as the chairperson of the heads of government agencies.
“We are CEOs for national stability. How can we support the continued stability of our nation? Uganda has been stable and peaceful, and we should be appreciative by contributing to its continuity.”
The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) Registrar General, Ms. Mercy Kainobwisho called for accountability to the citizens by showcasing the positives and ensuring effective service delivery.
“We should showcase what we have done in the last five years since we have been implementing through the Manifesto. We have done a lot which needs to be showcased,” she said.
“We need to come up with a clear strategy by providing accountability. We must come up with one voice since we are here to support and showcase what we have done in the different sectors of our country. Let’s not take our country for granted, let’s promote it by showing accountability without involving politics in it.”
The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Juliana Kagwa explained that siloed work in agencies is due to several challenges such as ineffective communication.
“People believe in what we do. We need a platform for inter-agency collaboration so that we are not operating in a parallel universe. We should be speaking the same language,” Ms. Kagwa noted.
Additionally, she advised that agencies need to bring the youth on board and embrace their innovations which they could use to publicize their campaigns.
“We need those people to come and create the content about our campaigns while we give accountability.”
Dr. James Musinguzi, Executive Director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) confirmed the assertion that a lot has been done by government agencies but due to lack of publicity, less is known by the public.
“A lot is being done but not publicized. For example, UWA shares revenue with communities neighboring protected areas and do compensations, but this is not known by many,” he said.
“We must have a strategy to engage these young people so that they can promote our campaigns.”
Vision Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Don Wanyama said as leaders of government agencies they should consolidate on the achievements of the NRM government and popularise its vision for the next five years. This, he said, would help President Museveni to be re-elected into office in the next general elections.
“Let’s create a task force where we can have a team to do research regarding what Uganda through the NRM has achieved in the last 40 years.”
On his part, Dr. Ezra Muhumuza, Executive Director of the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) urged that the political regime is supposed to present the Manifesto to the public, which becomes a social contract between the people and the government, then government through the several agencies, must be the implementor of the Manifesto.
He also called for a strengthened working relationship among agencies to achieve their common goal.
Eng. Ziria Tibalwa Waako, Chief Executive Officer of the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) also called upon fellow leaders to engage the young people so that they can join them in their development campaigns.
“We possibly need age groups between 15 to 40 to support us. They are the majority and easy to convert. If you use the right language they understand, they are easy to move. This cluster that we are targeting should become our ally,” she said.