The leader of the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED), Joseph Kabuleta, has advised government on how to harness the newly launched Parish Development Model.
President Yoweri Museveni last month launched the Parish Development Model (PDM). The program is meant to eradicate poverty through execution of development activities at the parish level.
Addressing the people of Tooro Sub-Region on Friday, Kabuleta said PDM is a government poverty eradication program needs to be different from the past programs that he claims failed.
“I don’t have so much hope in Parish Development Model but I wish I did because I would love to see you people develop. the truth is, it was launched amidst blaze of publicity, a lot of money was spent in publicizing it,” Kabuleta noted.
Kabuleta advised government to invest money in people’s project, rather than spending the biggest chunk in trainings.
Kabuleta also advised government to sensitize, create an enabling environment for Ugandans to work and benefit from their natural wealth.
To him, if government does that, the abject poverty among citizens will be no more.
He said that government can do a lot of things to empower people without giving free money which in the end just distracts them.
“As NEED we believe that instead of giving people fish, government should give them a hook so that they can go fishing by themselves. That’s is the only way you can escape poverty.”
Simon Mugisa, an administer of Tooro Kingdom said, ” You cannot alleviate people from poverty when prices of commodities are so high yet people are earning less.”
He added,” We don’t need free money from government, we can work for ourselves as long as the authorities create an enabling environment for us to carryout our businesses. You cannot manage well something which you have not worked for.”
Currently, Kabuleta who is on a nationwide sensitization campaign premised on protecting Uganda’s national deposits that could be used by citizens to alleviate themselves from poverty.
Launched last year, NEED, a political movement under the stewardship of Kabuleta has so far managed to spread the economic empowerment message to Busoga, Buganda, Bugisu, Bukedi, Teso, Sebei, Lango, Acholi, West Nile and Tooro sub-regions.