Gov't Should Use Makerere Students to Collect Data for PDM Implementation – Prof. Nawangwe

File Photo/Courtesy: Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice Chancellor, Makerere University.

chimpreports.com, August 26, 2022 | The Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe has advised Government to use Makerere students to collect data for the implementation of Parish Development Model (PDM) before further roll-out of the programme is done.

Nawangwe who on Thursday was officiating Makerere University Business School (MUBS) public lecture to commemorate Makerere’s 100 years of excellence, said that the University has over 50,000 students, and these should have been sent to their respective parishes to collect data for PDM roll-out.

YouTube Video | e-learning MUBS : MAK @100 Public Lecture

“Take an example of the Parish Development Model. It is a very good idea, but it has been taken over by politicians. Now you see what is happening. And for us in academia we are seated and looking on. And you see people commenting [that] this is going to fail. You are part of the academia, and you are saying this is going to fail. You should be saying [that] for this to succeed, we should do the following. And that is what we should do as University,” he said.

“I have told the team that is looking at how Parish Development Model should work. And I have told them that Makerere alone plus MUBS, we have over 50,000 students. Why don’t we send these students to all the parishes, and they collect the data that is required to plan properly for the Parish Development Model. We are sending money to the parishes, we don’t even know what people there do, what best activity they should engage in, and after five years, we shall say, it has also failed like the others. But we can save it as universities,” Nawangwe said.

Nawangwe’s advice comes barely a month after the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) asked Government to halt the planned release of funds for PDM implementation until data for beneficiaries is collected.

The UBOS Executive Director, Dr Chris Mukiza, warned that the data that had been collected by the local leaders was invalid, and reiterated that the country was not prepared for PDM roll-out.

“We shall not advise the government to release the money now because we have not completed the collection of data across the country….. Until we get the right data, the government cannot release this money,” Dr Mukiza said.

PDM is a Government poverty eradication, and job creation programme.

The PDM aims to help people from parish level to increase their household incomes and joining the money economy. It is an extension of the-whole-of government approach to development as envisaged under the National Development Plan III, with the parish as the lowest administrative and operational hub for delivering services closer to the people, and hence fostering economic development.

File Photo/Courtesy: Prof. Wasswa Balunywa, MUBS Principal, delivering a keynote Address at the Public Lecture.

MUBS Principal, Prof Waswa Balunywa was the keynote speaker at the event.

The PDM aims to lift the 39% of Uganda’s population from the subsistence to money economy and has seven pillars of; Production, Storage, Processing and Marketing; Infrastructure and Economic Services; Financial Inclusion; Social Services; Mindset change; Parish Based Management Information System; and Governance and Administration.

In its maiden year, 2021/22 financial year, the Government sent 17 million shillings to each parish as revolving fund.

In the 2022/23 financial year, the 17 million was supposed to be increased to 100 million shillings.

Under the plan, 100 million shillings is sent directly to the Sacco accounts in each parish, from which households can borrow and invest in income-generating activities.

The PDM which is designed to alleviate poverty at parish level looks to failing in its initial stage of implementation.

File Photo/Courtesy: Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and Prof. Wasswa Balunywa attending the MUBS Public Lecture,Thursday, August 25, 2022.

Prof Barnabas Nawangwe and Prof Waswa Balunywa attending the MUBS public lecture on Thursday.

On Tuesday this week, the Minister of State for Finance, in charge of Planning, Amos Lugoloobi told Parliament’s Finance Committee that government would pay PDM monies in installments due to lack of cash.

Members of the committee said that whereas the Government promised to send money to parishes, to date, the parishes have not received the money, while others have received less than promised.

Meanwhile, at the public lecture at MUBS, Nawangwe challenged the academia to do more research, and be innovative to find solutions to challenges facing this country, such as high population growth, unemployment, poverty, diseases, climate change among others.

Nawangwe who hails from Busia District, made a reference to his own district, saying that as he grew up, his home was surrounded by bushes. However, due to rapid population growth, the area has turned to be a “huge urban slum.”

“That is frightening. And if we don’t do anything about it, then we must know that our children and grandchildren will be doomed. We have a very high population growth, we have got climate change, our soils are exhausted, and we have new emerging diseases which were not here before. So, we must research on these issues. Nobody is going to come from America or Europe to research on this. If we want this huge population to thrive in this small land, we must do research and look for solutions,” he said.

At Makerere, Nawangwe said, they are emphasizing research and innovations.

He also said that the Ugandan people must not leave it to politicians to find remedies to Uganda’s challenges, noting that all over the world such problems are solved by the academia.

“It is our responsibility to do that,” he said.

File Photo/Courtesy: Cross Section of Participants at the MUBS Public Lecture, Thursday, August 25, 2022.

The MUBS public lecture took place at MUBS on Thursday.

Giving an example of South Korea which is the 11th biggest economy in the world with 50 million people, Nawangwe said the East Asian Tiger has been able to attain rapid growth due to research and innovation.

“We were richer than Korea in 1960. How come? The simple answer is discipline and hard work. Once we solve that, we can also take off, and be like the other countries that we admire. We must do research, and look for solutions to these problems, engage in innovations to create jobs for very many young people that are coming up. Let us embrace research, let us embrace innovation, let us take charge of the development of our country,” he said.

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