President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has officially launched Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) during his State of the Nation Address at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, marking the beginning of a new strategic era for Uganda’s transformation and sustainable development between FY2025/26 and FY2029/30.
The launch follows Parliament’s approval of the NDP IV, which will serve as Uganda’s national blueprint to accelerate socio-economic transformation, deepen industrialisation, and position the country to achieve middle-income status.
“This plan will guide our journey toward a modern, integrated, and self-sustaining economy. Our emphasis is on value addition, industrial growth, and building wealth at the household level,” said President Museveni.
10 Strategic Priorities for Economic Growth
In his wide-ranging address, President Museveni outlined ten priority areas to steer Uganda’s development agenda in the new financial year.
These include: Widening the tax base, Transforming subsistence households into a money economy, Fighting corruption, Strengthening security and stability, Investing in human capital development, Enhancing agricultural productivity and value addition, Infrastructure expansion, Boosting industrialisation, Digital transformation and Export promotion and banning of raw material exports.
“Exporting raw materials is Africa’s biggest problem. It means we are donating all the benefits—jobs and money—to other countries,” the President noted, reaffirming a total ban on the export of unprocessed minerals.
Progress in Key Sectors
Highlighting Uganda’s achievements, the President pointed out significant improvements: Milk production has more than doubled—from 2.5 billion litres in FY 2017/18 to 5.4 billion litres in 2024, Uganda’s electricity generation capacity has surged from one power plant in 1986 (150MW) to four major plants with a total capacity of 1,163MW and Programmes like the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga have uplifted livelihoods and pushed more households into the monetised economy.
“With the continued implementation of PDM, we are on track to wipe out poverty in Uganda,” he declared.
A Call for National Unity and Sovereignty
President Museveni reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to national sovereignty, warning against external interference and asserting that all attempts to destabilise Uganda have been thwarted.
“Our priorities and interests are very clear, and our allies must respect and uphold them in all our dealings,” he stated.
The State of the Nation Address also marked the first sitting of the fifth session of the 11th Parliament, with Speaker Rt. Hon. Anitah Among describing the occasion as a historic opportunity for Uganda to reflect on its journey and prepare for the next phase of national growth.
As the country awaits the Budget Speech on June 12, aligned with the newly launched NDP IV, attention now turns to how government and institutions will implement the plan’s goals to deliver inclusive and sustainable development for all Ugandans.
