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Item Strengthening Public Financial Management and Accountability(Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, 2014) Muhakanizi, KeithAllow me to welcome all of you to this year’s Budget Conference. This workshop is very important as it gives us an opportunity to appreciate current and emerging challenges and agree strategies to steer us forward towards achieving our national policy objectives in line with the Country’s Vision 2040.Item The Independence of the Judiciary: an Assessment of the Reality of the Constitutional Doctrine in Uganda(Available at SSRN 2984300., 2017) Ssensikombi, AlexanderThis paper seeks to discuss the Constitutional doctrine of the Independence of the Judiciary as enshrined in Article 128 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (as amended); its safeguards and also gives an assessment of the applicability of this doctrine in Uganda; thereafter making recommendationsItem A Case of Retreating Horizons and Worsening Circumstances? Annual State of Constitutionalism in Uganda in 2015(Annual State of Constitutionalism in Uganda in, 2015) Kirunda, RobertThe state of constitutionalism in Uganda in 2015 calls for an analysis of various events and actions across the three arms of government. Twenty years into the promulgation of the 1995 Constitution, this chapter conducts a juxtaposition of some of the events and decisions through the historical lens of what the expectations, aspirations and wishes of the people of Uganda were, and whether these are being met today. It is apparent that although much progress has been made, there is a lot of mileage to cover and in some instances, troubling strides in regression to recover from. There are many notable instances from 2015 in which it became more apparent how intertwined the functions of the three arms of government are in the Ugandan context. Divided into five other parts, the chapter evaluates each arm of government. The next part discusses the performance of the Executive arm of government and highlights a number of missed opportunities and reflects on some of the key challenges through the year. The next part discusses the performance of the legislature and interrogates the hypothesis that 2015 was largely a year of retreating horizons for this crucial arm of government. In its evaluation of the judiciary, the third part of the paper takes stock of major landmark decisions, highlighting the crucial progress that the courts have made in advancing the much needed culture of constitutionalism, but also pointing to areas in which the courts may need to take a more progressive approach in their adjudication of human rights. The paper also points to some challenges that have become so notorious that they deserve no further elaboration. The discourse on human rights and constitutionalism is advancing on new forms of media is an emerging area to which and more attention will need to be paid. In highlighting how new media forms are providing a new frontier, this chapter evaluates a few key events and hopefully tickles interest into these areas. Key events on the political scene are analyzed in order to evaluate Uganda’s progress in furthering good governance and human rights on a politically charged landscape. Before reaching the conclusion that the developments of 2015 left a trying realization that there is more ground to cover, the chapter highlights the areas in which a lot of work will have to be done in future, so as to foster the progress of constitutionalism in Uganda.Item Investing in Social Development 2019(UNICEF, 2019) The National BudgetPromoting decent employment opportunities and labor productivity; • Enhancing effective participation of communities in the development process. Improving the resilience and productive capacity of the vulnerable persons for inclusive growth. Improving the capacity of youth to harness their potential and increase self-employment, productivity and competitiveness. Promoting rights, gender equality and women empowerment in the development process. Improving the performance of the Social Development Sector SDS institutions; and Restoring imbalances and promoting equal opportunity for all.Item Investing in Justice, Law and Order (JLOS) 2019(UNICEF, 2019) The National BudgetEnhancing national policy, legal and regulatory framework through reform, harmonization and dissemination of priority laws, policies, procedures and standards; and enhancing public participation in reform processes. Enhancing access to JLOS services for all, particularly the poor and marginalized groups. Promoting the respect and observance of human rights and institutional accountability for service delivery.Item Investing in education 2020(UNICEF, 2020) The National Budget FrameworkThe education sector is a critical component towards achieving the human capital aspirations of Uganda as articulated in the recently approved third National Development Plan (NDP III)Item Redeem Policy Implementation In Uganda By Takling The Political Question(2014) Uganda Development Management Policy ForumFor many poor countries, especially in Africa, decision-making and policy formulation appear to be the easier job. Moving from policy making to policy execution and providing public goods and services is the tougher task. Many African countries, including Uganda, have made modest but significant advances in entrenching participatory politics, election management and institutionalizing the power to make decisions. However, there has been little progress in attaining socioeconomic transformation and improving the material conditions of the majority poor. Indeed some indicators of Uganda’ economy display improvement, though, the improvements do not tally with the actual, lived conditions of the wider Ugandan society. Many observers have lamented the poor record of policy implementation in a robust and thorough manner as the key reason for the continued dire socioeconomic conditions of Ugandans. Why has the modest progress in institutionalizing decision-making power and producing excellent policies not matched with the capacity to execute policies? What can be done to redeem policy implementation? This policy brief attempts to provide alternatives to this question.Item Can The National Micro, Small And Medi-um Enterprises Policy Reap From Flexibility?(Uganda Management Institute, 2015) Uganda development management policy forumMicro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) form the bedrock of most economies. They are recognized worldwide, as engines of growth and development and in many countries there has been a conscious effort to support them so as to create the necessary employment opportunities, incomes and productive capacity among other benefits. Many governments and international donor agencies seek to promote the development of such enterprises through establishing support agencies and enterprise development projects. An important element for promoting enterprise development is to have a suitable enabling environment for business establishment, survival and growth. The enabling environment refers, among other things, to policy and regulatory issues, to infrastructure, and to financial and business development services. In this respect, Uganda has drafted a national policy for micro, small and medium enterprises which is under consideration and review by various stakeholders. This policy brief, thus, emerges to augment the feasibility of the national micro, small and medium enterprises policy draft.Item Investing in Social Development(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2021) Economic Policy Research CentreIn line with the change in the budgeting approach from sector to programme based budgeting, the social development sector lies under the Governance and Security programme, the Human Capital Development and the Community Mobilization and Mindset Change programmes of the third National Development Plan. This brief therefore assesses the contribution of the social development sector to the new Governance and Security programme as articulated in the NDPIIIItem Investing in Justice, Law And Order (JLOS)(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2021) Economic Policy Research CentreDue to the shift from Sector Based Budgeting to Programme Based Budgeting, the justice law and order sector lies under the Governance and Security programme of the third National Development Plan. The brief therefore assesses the contribution of the JLOS sector to the new HCD programmes as articulated in the NDPIII.Item Investing In Education(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2021) Economic Policy Research CentreDue to the shift from sector based budgeting to programme based budgeting, the education sector lies under the human capital development programme. The brief therefore asseses the contribution of the education sector to the new HCD programmes as articulated in the NDPIII. The education sector is a critical component towards achieving human capital aspirations of building teachers and learners’ capacity as articulated in the recently approved third National Development Plan (NDP) III. Given the coronavirus pandemic and the associated school closures, ensuring that all formally enrolled children return to school will be critical during FY 2021/22.Item Challenges of Mobilising Resources to Finance Uganda’s National Development Plan (NDP)(2017) Lakuma, Corti Paul; Lwanga, Musa MayanjaA fall of global commodity prices and the resultant lower export revenues, reduction in donor financing and the increased expenditure on infrastructure have expanded the budget deficit in Uganda. In addition, the debt market is becoming increasingly costly. Interest payment on both domestic and foreign debt are projected to reach 12 percent of total public expenditures in 2017. This calls for alternative modes of revenue mobilisation. As such, Public Private Partnership (PPPs), improving efficiency in resource utilization, taxing growth sectors such as agriculture and mining, improving VAT collection and implementing policy changes to accommodate temporary macroeconomics shocks will be imperative to both mobilizing resources and financing projects planned under the National Development Plan (NDP).Item Challenges Faced by Adolescent Girls in Urban Areas of Uganda and the Case for Targeted Social Protection Programmes(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2021) Mugume, Regean; Atwine, Blessing; Mpuuga, DablinAdolescent girls in urban areas of Uganda suffer unique challenges that affect their safe transition to adulthood. These challenges include;early school dropout, domestic and sexual violence, child labour and exploitation, limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, among others. These vulnerabilities increase social and economic exclusion and have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent measures to slow down its spread, for instance, the countrywide lockdown and the school closures. This policy brief provides a snapshot of the unique challenges faced by adolescent girls in urban areas and makes the case for transformative social protectionprogrammes that address structural barriers to the economic and social inclusion of adolescent girls. In light of the findings, the brief recommends the need for community sensitization against sexual and physical abuse, and enforcement of laws to protect adolescent girls in urban settings.Item COVID-19 Implications on Private Investment and Markets in East Africa(African Economic Research Consortium, 2021) Mwesigye, FrancisCoronavirus disease (COVID-19), which started in China at the end of 2019, has spread across the world at an increasing rate. The disease gained recognition in the rest of the World in March 2020 and no continent has escaped the virus. As of 30th March 2021, there were about 128 million confirmed cases and 2.8 million deaths around the world. Declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11th March 2020, COVID-19 has become a global emergency, given its impact on the entire world population and the economy. The pandemic has had deleterious effects on the health systems and health and, as a result, led to loss of lives. To curb the spread of COVID-19, governments have taken various steps such as general confinement and largescale shutdown of economic activities, which curtailed the movement of people and goods. These measures have had serious social and economic implications.Item Improving the growth and transition of small and medium enterprises in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2017) Kuteesa, Annette; Lakuma, Paul; Gupta, Rakesh; Kasirye, IbrahimUrban areas in Uganda are increasingly facing competition for their resources in the face of rising population. More than one out of every five Ugandans are residing in urban areas and the urban population is expected to triple in next two decades. Most of the urban population resides in GKMA—a region challenged with unemployment and inadequate opportunities. Enhancing firm performance in urban areas offers a promise for jobs and local revenue to boost city development. Local governments and city council need to create mechanisms that address firm constraints and harness the factors that drive firm competiveness, growth and transition. Potential opportunities lie in collaborating with financial institutions to provide affordable credit, improving taxation procedures, establishing of business spaces for the small firms and influencing vocational schools to impact relevant skills.Item EPRC Annual Report July 2015 - June 2016(Economic Policy Research Centre, 2016) Economic Policy Research Centre2015/16 was a momentous financial year for the Economic Policy Research Centre, as Cabinet approved the National Fertiliser Policy for Uganda, its strategy and investment plan, that the Centre had worked on for over five years in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries. The policy was endorsed by the Cabinet chaired by the Head of State, President Yoweri Museveni on May 4, 2016.