On Saturday, President Yoweri Museveni launched a Shs490 billion Parish Development Model (PDM) meant to eradicate poverty through the execution of development activities at the parishes.
Speaking during the launch at Kibuku Primary School, Kibuku district in Bukedi Sub-region, President Museveni said PDM is a multi-sectoral strategy aimed to create socio-economic transformation targeting over 39 per cent of households in a subsistence economy, to move them into the money economy using the Parish as the epicentre for development.
Parish chiefs are going to be the coordinators of all Government efforts at each of the 10,594 parishes and will report to the Sub-County Chief. Each Parish will have a cooperative society through which Government support will be channelled.
Over 3.5 million households are expected to participate in this strategy and according to the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Ramathan Ggoobi, PDM is going to be the focal point for baseline data gathering, enterprise selection (focusing on high-value enterprises), provision of financial services (credit & savings) to purchase quality farming inputs, and provision of extension services.
It’s also going to be the focal point for reducing post-harvest losses, bulking and marketing of agricultural produce. And it will quicken the transition from substance to commercial production, and ultimately speed up the completion of the agricultural revolution into industrialization.
“Each Parish is going to have one PDM SACCO through which Government support to the households still in subsistence will be channelled. The money will be transferred directly from the treasury to the PDM SACCO. No middlemen for money to guard against the “leaky bucket” syndrome,” said Ggoobi.
The Parish Development Model will have a Committee who will play an oversight role over the Parish Revolving Fund to ensure the money goes to the target group (households in subsistence) and that they use it for productive investment and the payback.
These will include; the Local Council three people who led the committee, the Parish Chief (Secretary), 6 members of the Parish, 1 member from a Non-Government Organization (NGOs), 2 opinion leaders (Female and Male) who must be retired leader and 1 member from the private sector.
The PDM was designed on 7 pillars. However, two of these (production and financial inclusion) are going to be the core pillars, while the rest will be supportive i.e. the PDM will enable households that were excluded from the formal financial sector to access funds to buy inputs.
These seven pillars include; Production, processing and market, Infrastructure and Economic Service, Financial Inclusion, Social Service, Community Data, Governance and Administration Mindset Change and cross-cutting issues (Gender, environment, Disability etc.)
Each parish will receive the revolving fund of Shs17m, all processes and transactions shall be computerized/digital using a dedicated Parish Revolving Fund software (PRF ICT) platform. This shall make it easier to monitor the performance of the Fund, even for remote supervision.
As such, transfers shall be supported by digital financial technologies that are under formal regulation, in order to provide financial services in a secure, transparent and efficient manner, as well as to effectively monitor recovery.
This is expected to increase accountability and reduce the risk of loss of funds. The Treasury in consultations with the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance shall prescribe/ approve the:
Proposed PRF Financial Management System and Digital modalities of disbursement and management of funds under the PRF to ensure that there are sufficient controls within this framework.
There will be a Policy Committee (PDM Policy Committee) whose overall role duty is to provide the strategic vision and support for the effective implementation of the PDM. In particular, it shall; Receive and review plans, budgets and reports from the PDM Technical Committee and make recommendations to Cabinet.
The PDM will be implemented through the existing structures of the District/ City and Municipal Council. The Chief Administration Officer/ Town Clerk/City Director will be the Accounting Officer and Nominate a suitable officer within the Technical Planning Committee (TPC) as the PDM Focal Person (FPP) and, through the CAO/ Town Clerk, City Director will report to the District Executive Committee on the issues of the PDM.
Priority commodities for PDM include; Coffee, Cotton, Cocoa, Cassava, Tea, Vegetable Oils/ Oil palm, Maize, Rice, Sugar Cane, Fish, Dairy, Beef, Banana, Beans, Avocado, Shea Nut, Cashew Nut, Macadamia Nut.
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