The acting commissioner of the macroeconomic policy department (Ministry of Finance), Moses Kabanda, said that the next financial year’s budget will prioritise climate change and the management of food security.
Kabanda made these remarks while representing the Finance Minister at the Local Government Regional Budget Consultations for the Financial Year 2024/25 workshop at the Margaritha Palace Hotel in Lira.
“The next FY budget will prioritise climate change and management of food security, implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM), accelerated development of the mineral sector and consolidating infrastructure development to reduce the cost of doing business,” Kabanda said.
Kabanda also said that the Ministry of Finance will also be providing indicative planning figures and granting programmed guidelines to local governments (LGs) to facilitate the preparation of the FY 2024/25 budget.
He added that the implementation of PDM, accelerated development of the mineral sector and consolidation of infrastructure development will reduce the cost of doing business and requested that the local government leaders pay keen attention and support to the successful implementation of PDM, which is a game changer in the quest for socio-economic transformation.
According to Kabanda, following the government’s decision to undertake a special payroll audit, recruitment of staff was put on hold pending the outcome of the audit by the Auditor General.
“Only recruitment on a replacement basis was permitted, given that it is resource-neutral. Guidance on new recruitment will be informed by the audit results,” said Kabanda.
Jeff Wadulo, a representative of the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG), recommended improvements to infrastructure for education and health, including the provision of necessary equipment.
The workshop was intended to communicate the government’s budget strategy and priorities for FY 2024–25, discuss investment opportunities to facilitate development growth strategies and discuss budget implementation challenges affecting service delivery.
