Minister for the Presidency Milly Babirye Babalanda has challenged Operation Wealth Creation officers to improve coordination across government and turn development programmes into measurable gains for Ugandan households.
Minister for the Presidency Milly Babirye Babalanda has urged Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) officers to strengthen coordination with government institutions and focus on measurable improvements in service delivery as Uganda pursues its economic transformation agenda.
Babalanda warned that coordination among government agencies must produce practical solutions for citizens rather than remain confined to meetings, calling for clear responsibilities, timely action and effective follow-up.
“Coordination must go beyond meetings to deliver clearly defined responsibilities, timely action, effective follow-up and tangible results for the people of Uganda,” Babalanda said.
She was addressing 250 senior military and civilian officers of OWC during a week-long capacity-building retreat at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi.
Babalanda, who oversees OWC, urged the officers to familiarise themselves with the planning, budgeting and implementation frameworks of the Governance and Security Programme (GSP) to identify areas of cooperation and jointly address service delivery challenges.
Her remarks come as government implements the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and pursues the Tenfold Growth Strategy, which aims to expand Uganda’s economy to $500 billion by 2040.
The strategy prioritises agro-industrialisation, tourism, mineral development, including oil and gas, and science, technology and innovation.
Babalanda said achieving these ambitions would require more than economic policies and financial resources, arguing that peace, security, accountability and effective institutions were essential to sustainable growth.
“Insecurity discourages investment, corruption diverts public resources from essential priorities, and institutional inefficiencies undermine service delivery,” she said.
She added that effective governance and security systems were necessary to create an environment in which businesses could invest, citizens could engage in productive activities and households could build wealth.
The Governance and Security Programme brings together institutions including the Office of the President, ministries responsible for defence, internal affairs, justice and foreign affairs, the Judiciary, police, prisons and intelligence agencies.
Its strategic objectives include strengthening security agencies, improving justice and law enforcement, promoting transparency and anti-money laundering systems, expanding citizen participation in democratic processes and strengthening implementation of the Bill of Rights.
The programme also seeks to improve public policy analysis, refugee protection and migration coordination, institutional capacity, and Uganda’s regional and international engagement.
Babalanda called on OWC officers to align their work with these priorities, noting that although participating institutions have distinct mandates, coordinated implementation is necessary to address national challenges.
She also reminded the officers that OWC was established in July 2013 as a presidential initiative to help Ugandans move from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.
She said the programme’s role extends beyond distributing agricultural inputs to helping households establish productive, market-oriented and sustainable economic activities.
“Farmers need more than agricultural inputs. They require technical guidance, access to markets, reliable information, appropriate infrastructure and effective linkages with relevant Government institutions,” she said.
Babalanda commended the National Leadership Institute and the OWC Secretariat for organising the retreat, describing it as timely given Uganda’s development priorities.
She said stronger coordination and implementation would be necessary to ensure government programmes translate into tangible benefits for citizens.