Public Investment Management (PIM) experts have asked the government to prioritize management software to improve on the project implementation, which has affected most projects in the country.
The appeal was made during the first public investment management conference held on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at the School of Public Health Auditorium, Makerere University, Kampala.
Dr. Joseph Muvawala, the director of the National Planning Authority, said that the country has been faced with the challenge of project implementation for a very long time, adding that there should be measures that should be improved for the country’s projects to be sponsored and implemented.
“When we talk about project implementation, there should be binding factors like infrastructure and ICT, which should be improved, and the Internet costs should be reduced. We also have a problem with the ability of project coordinators to deliver, and that’s why the government should invest in software that can manage projects,” he said.
Barbara Magezi Ndamire, a senior public sector specialist at the World Bank, noted that they support projects according to their goals, especially poverty reduction and improving prosperity.
“Before the World Bank approves a project, it looks at issues of climate change, the scale of the project, and human capital development. If a project undermines any of the above, then issues will arise on its sponsorship,” she noted.
Glenn Jenkins, the Head of the Department of Economics at Queens University Canada and also a keynote speaker at the conference, weighed on the project implementation problem, stating that for a project to be well implemented, it should be well revised in its capacity and processes to implement it.
“Project coordinators should be trained in finding out the project’s impact and efficiency before it’s implemented. Processes should be designed and followed accordingly for a perfect implementation,” he stated.
The Public Investment Management (PIM) Conference is the first of its kind with the theme, “Navigating the Landscape of Public Investment Management in Uganda: Current Realities and Future Outlook.”
The major role of PIM is to help the country’s projects get funding in integrated banks of projects like the World Bank.