For the first time, Uganda’s major external funding partner, the World Bank, in its 14th Uganda Economic Update, emphasised Social Protection programmes as an important policy tool for building resilience, mitigating risks and supporting households to invest in human capital development.

Uganda has continuously prioritised investment in physical infrastructure over the years and indeed, the proposed budget for the financial year 2020/21 has works and transport taking up the biggest share of the resource envelope at 19.7% up from 19.6% in the current financial year.

As the report highlights, despite huge investments in infrastructure, people are increasingly becoming vulnerable to shocks and risk hence the rise in the poverty rates now at 21.7%. With almost half of the world’s poorest living in Africa, how the country approaches social protection in the coming years will be very important for the global effort to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030.

It is only when that political economy is guided by a clear goal of firm ethical principles that go beyond those of narrow economic theory, and by an understanding of the interdependence of all parts of the total system of people, society, economy and environment that sustainable outcomes will be achievable.

The new agenda calls for efforts to not only combat different categories of poverty, but also even up income distribution so that as countries continue to develop the benefits of growth can be enjoyed by all.

Read more @New Vision