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Uganda National Planning Authority (NPA)

Uganda National Planning Authority (NPA)
 Tel. +256-414- 250214 | Fax. +256-414- 250213
Email: npa@npa.ugWeb: www.npa.ug 

Location: Planning House Plot 15B, Clement Hill Road, Kampala, Uganda
Postal Address:  P.O. Box 21434, Kampala, Uganda

NPA boss warns on middle income status
There are deep concerns at the National Planning Authority (NPA) about the quality of public investments, seen as the engine that would deliver the country into the middle-income bracket by 2020.Dr Joseph Muvawala, the executive director, told reporters. "I am very much concerned and the [whole] country is too." World Bank report said Uganda was not getting value for money on investments on most public projects over the past decade. The report added that this would not transform the country into a middle-income status soon. The World Bank said Uganda's projects were characterized by "endemic delays in implementation, cost overruns, and corruption means that sometimes projects come at twice the original cost." Read more
NPA: Govt urged to tap into the informal sector through incentives
Government has been asked to lead the efforts to formalize the growing informal sector in Uganda through incentives if it is to increase the country’s tax revenue. The informal sector employs 80 percent of Uganda’s labor force since only 9,000 jobs are available in the job market.Joseph Muvawala, the Executive Director National Planning Authority said on  that government must tackle the issue of increasing domestic revenue. He was speaking during the 9th Open Minds Forum organized by Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).“The informal sector is an inevitable and critical centre for transition for any developing country. We must not deal with the informal sector as a mere revenue tool but a strategic sector and this requires incentives,” said Muvawala.Andrew Rugasira the proprietor of Good African Coffee Uganda in his key note speech challenged Ugandans doing business informally as frustrating government efforts to deliver services.“We have to take responsibility by paying our taxes if we need to get better services. Our demands for good roads, schools and other services remain illegitimate cannot make demands if we aren’t contributing to the growth of our country.” Read more
NPA: Uganda needs robust Agoa strategy - analysts
For Uganda to benefit from the United States market, it must have a strategy to follow or else remain a spectator watching those countries that are organised seal lucrative deals, policy makers, trade analysts and civil society have said.The concern comes after the extension of Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), .Agoa is a preferential market access granted by the United States (US) to African countries. And as such, the US provides duty free (no tax) and quota free (unlimited) access for more than 6,400 products from eligible countries in Africa, among them Uganda.Some of the products include textiles, fruits, crafts and primary commodities such as coffee, minerals and petroleum. Among those calling for the development of a strategy so as to take full advantage of Agoa, is the chairman of National Planning Authority, Mr Kisamba Mugerwa.Read more
NPA: Expatriates deprive government of revenue, says official
Uganda will need a few foreign engineering expatriates, the deputy chairperson of the National Planning Authority (NPA) has said.Dr Abel Rwendeire said the government has realised that importation of expatriates deprives local construction companies revenue and employment and thus, a deliberate move has been introduced where the two [foreign and local companies] will share work.“There is now a government policy where foreign companies subcontract a percentage of work to local engineers and companies. This will help develop the capacity of our engineers,” Dr Rwendeire said.He urged the local contractors to utilise the opportunity to get the much needed experience and use the money from subcontracts to acquire equipment.He said sharing work will also help the country not to spend a lot of money inviting the same expatriates to come and work on the same projects in future, in case there is a breakdown or renovation of any project.Dr Rwendeire made the remarks last week in Kampala while officiating at the Annual Construction and Builders’ Expo at the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) in Kampala. Read more
NPA: National development plan needs sh185 trillion
Tourism, agriculture and the extractive sectors will enjoy the lion’s share of public investments, in a new development plan that seeks to drive Uganda to middle-income status. The National Planning Authority (NPA) estimates that the key projects in these sectors require sh185 trillion. Of this, sh100 trillion is expected to come from the public sector and the balance from the private sector in form of partnerships.  The draft development plan awaits the approval of Cabinet and Parliament ahead of implementation.  NPA chairperson Dr. Kisamba Mugerwa warned that the plan will only be successful if the Government aligns the annual national budgets with the plan. Mugerwa and the NPA team were addressing journalists about the completion the new development plan (NDPII) last week at their offices.  Mugerwa said it is essential that the Government focuses on particluar priority areas instead of scattering the limited resources by trying to do everything at once.  Read more
Uganda needs eight percent annual growth to attain middle income status - NPA
For Uganda to attain the kind of growth that should propel it to middle-income status, the economy has to grow by an average of eight per cent per annum and it should be underpinned by a stable and predictable environment, a report from the National Planning Authority (NPA) has noted.In his keynote presentation during a meeting with the private sector in Kampala, the executive director of NPA, Joseph Muvawala, said the obligation of running the economy lies in the hands of the private sector and that government will only concentrate on improving its coordination, focus and business environment."The responsibility of running the economy is entirely a private sector affair. It is the private sector that will generate jobs. It is also the private sector that is competitive and the engine of growth, and not the government. Without you, we can do very little," he said. Read more
NPA: Shs120 trillion needed to finance phase two of NDP
The second phase of the National Development Plan will require a budget totalling Shs120 trillion of implementation if its impact is to be felt, National Planning Authority (NPA) executive director Joseph Muvawala has said. Speaking at a meeting with private sector leaders, organised by the NPA in Kampala, Mr Muvawala said the responsibility of running the economy is entirely a private sector affair as the government will only concentrate on improving its co-ordination, focus and enhancing the business environment.He said the sector is expected to contribute at least 80 per cent of Shs120 trillion, something the leaders said is no mean achievement considering that the cost of doing business in Uganda is still higher than that of countries such as Kenya and Egypt. Read more
Delay in road works costing $1m monthly
A delay in the process of awarding contracts for road works costs the taxpayer $1m (sh2.5b) per month, an appalling situation that calls for early groundwork and planning to shorten the procurement process.David Luyimbazi, the director, planning at the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), said the delays have affected service delivery.“It takes about four to seven months to procure just a single project. We cannot meet the lead time to prepare the project, and this affects drawback of resources (using the allocated funds),” he said.“The level of preparing and planning is key in timely delivery of projects.”Luyimbazi said over 90% of UNRA funding is spent on procuring goods and services, adding that if delays in the tendering process are checked, a lot of government resources and time would be saved.He was presenting a paper on the effect of procurement procedures on resource absorption and project implementation in Uganda at the launch of the first national development policy forum at the Kampala Serena Hotel last week. Read more
National development plans not in line with govt priorities – NPA chief
The Chairperson Uganda National Planning Authority (NPA), Mr Kisamba Mugerwa, has identified lack of proper coordination between the government ministries, departments and agencies as being responsible for the poor enforcement of the national development plan.According to Mr Mugerwa, so much should have been achieved since the launch of the comprehensive National Development Plan in 2007, had the entire government departments owned up the development document and implemented it in collaboration with each other.“One of the key findings of the mid-term review of the National Development Plan (NDP) was the lack of alignment of the sector development plan,” Mr Mugerwa said yesterday at a strategic meeting on formulation of the 2nd NDP that should be up and running by September, 2014.He continued: “Our role (NPA) is only coordinating the process while the ministries, departments and agencies and other non-state actors are to prepare and ultimately implement the plan.” Read more