The government through the third National Development Plan (NDP III), has instrumentally addressed various challenges faced by Ugandans to improve household incomes and quality of life.

The NDP serves as a government initiative to promote growth, employment, and socio-economic transformation for long-term structural change and wealth creation.

Speaking on the Uganda podcast on December 17, 2024, the Chairperson of the National Planning Authority, Pamela Mbabazi, said that the National Development Plans I, II, and III collectively laid a robust foundation for Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.

Mbabazi highlighted the contribution of NDP III, specifically targeted to improve household incomes and quality of life through sustainable practices across various sectors.

“As Uganda progresses towards its Vision 2040 goals, the ongoing implementation of these plans is expected to yield significant benefits for the population,” Mbabazi said.

She added that prioritized sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and mineral extraction enhance infrastructure and human capital to increase average household incomes and improve the quality of life of Ugandans through sustainable industrialization for inclusive growth and employment.

She advised the youth to exploit the government industrial parks to gain knowledge and skills to use in digital agricultural solutions.

The NDPs contributed to gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates that rebounded to 4.6% in FY2021/22 after a decline due to COVID-19 impacts, with real GDP per capita increasing to USD 1,052 in FY2021/22.

Mbabazi explained that NDPs have been focused on enhancing value addition in key sectors such as agriculture, tourism, minerals, oil & gas, and knowledge-based industries with the implementation of 18 comprehensive programs aimed at addressing strategic bottlenecks to economic development of the country.

“Emphasis on sustainable industrialization aims to create jobs while ensuring environmental protection,” she said.

The average monthly nominal household income rose to UGX 200,000 by FY2019/20 from UGX 176,000 in FY2016/17 as efforts have been made to address gender disparities in income levels in the country.

Significant investments in infrastructure have been made to reduce the cost of doing business and enhance connectivity across regions and business communities’ worldwide, including improvements in health and education outcomes that are prioritized to enhance overall quality of life.