The Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, Matia Kassaija, has called upon private investors to integrate with government-supported welfare programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, and small business recovery funds to enhance access to financing for entrepreneurship.

Kasaija made the above call during the Public Investment Management Conference (PIM), which took place on October 17, 2024, at the School of Public Health Auditorium, Makerere University.

Kassaija said that public investment is the backbone of our nation’s development, essential for building the infrastructure, human capital, and institutions needed to elevate Uganda to middle-income status and beyond.

“Investment in human capital is essential to the development of the economy. We call upon you, the private investors, to support the government in the development of human capital. We want a Uganda where everyone is the money-making economy for the country’s economy to develop,” he said.

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According to Professor Edward Bbaale, the conference, themed Navigating the Landscape of Public Investment Management in Uganda: Current Realities and Future Outlook, aligns perfectly with the mission of the Makerere University PIM Center, which is Capacity Building, Research, and Advisory Services in PIM. He noted that it was helping to bridge the gap between academic research and public service needs.

“Our training initiatives have so far reached over 200 public service officials, covering key areas such as Basic Public Investment Management (PIM), Financial and Risk Analysis, Economic and Stakeholder Analysis, Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation,” he noted.

The Uganda-PIM system was initiated in 2016 with the main aim of producing approved projects that can be held for funding in integrated banks of projects such as World Bank projects.