The government has ramped up its investment in poverty eradication programs, allocating substantial funds to the Parish Development Model (PDM) and EMYOOGA initiatives in the 2025/2026 financial year.
On Thursday, 12th June 2025, while delivering the budget speech at Kololo Independence Grounds, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija revealed that Shs1 trillion has been earmarked for the PDM in the new financial year, with an additional Shs100 billion allocated to EMYOOGA.
Minister Kasaija further confirmed that over 2.63 million Ugandans have so far benefited from the PDM since its inception.
He says that the beneficiaries are spread across 10,589 parishes countrywide. By the end of June 2025, the government will have spent UGX 3.3 trillion on PDM activities.
“PDM has significantly strengthened local economies and enabled many Ugandans to transition into the money economy,” Kasaija said.
He adds that 36% of beneficiaries are involved in livestock farming, 12% in poultry, and the majority in crop production.
To enhance transparency and accountability, the minister announced that the PDM platform has been fully digitalized, a move expected to curb fraud and increase community access to funding.
Beyond PDM, Minister Kasaija highlighted the impact of the EMYOOGA initiative, which has benefited 2.4 million Ugandans and created over 471,000 jobs.
“Under Emyooga, government has invested Shs 660 billion supporting 2.4 million Ugandans and creating over 471,000 jobs in value-added trades,” Minister said.
The program has injected life into local economies by supporting enterprise formation and boosting household incomes. The government has allocated UGX 100 billion to EMYOOGA in the upcoming financial year.
“Over the past decade, we have committed more than UGX 9 trillion to wealth creation programs such as Uganda Development Bank, PDM, EMYOOGA, the Youth Livelihood Program, and the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Program-UWEP. These efforts are designed to uplift households and promote sustainable income,” Kasaija said.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who has been on a nationwide tour monitoring the implementation of the PDM, has reiterated his government’s commitment to expand and fund the program further, calling on local leaders and citizens to protect the funds from misuse.
The FY 2025/2026 budget is anchored on the theme: “Full monetization of Uganda’s economy through commercial agriculture, industrialization, expanding and broadening services, digital transformation and market access.”
Analysts say the renewed financial injection into poverty alleviation programs underscores the government’s determination to transition Ugandans from subsistence living to productive participation in the formal economy.
