Finance Minister: "Interaction Between Government and EPRC Won't Affect Autonomy."

Hon. Matia Kasaija, the Minister of Finance has this evening asserted that the collaboration between Government and the Economic Policy Research Centre won't compromise its independence. This was in response to Dr. Sarah Ssewanyana's concerns that government may want to compromise the Centre's independence.

In reiteration, the Minister noted that government is supportive of the Centre's autonomy. "The interaction between EPRC and the government doesn't affect the autonomy of the Centre," said the Minister. "My ministry respects the operational autonomy of the Centre to guarantee innovation and independence from vested  interest."

The Minister however shared a few concerns and called upon EPRC to respond to the needs of its key stakeholders, by creating an effective mechanism for interaction with them, addressing urgent problems and widening the circle of policy actors who use evidence-based analysis for decision making.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gambling with our Future? The Benefits and Costs of Legalised Gambling in Uganda

Gemma Ahaibwe  is a Research Analyst and  A nita Ntale is a Research Associate  at EPRC The overwhelming proliferation of lottery, casinos and sports betting in Uganda has seen the gambling industry develop in terms of penetration and revenue generation. Gambling related tax revenue has increased by about thirty-fold over the past decade, from UGX 0.24 billion in 2002/3 to UGX 7.4 billion in 2012/13. These revenues are set to increase even more with the introduction of a new 15% tax levied on winnings as per the 2014/2015 budget. As the government continues to search for more financing options for the national budget, the gaming industry is fast being recognised as one of the more underutilised potential tax bases. In contrast to the welcome revenue and taxes, gambling is also associated with undesirable socio-economic problems, which makes it particularly problematic for policy makers. Excessive gambling can result in financial family distress, and can be a trigger for other
Read more

The Urgent Need For Uganda To Pass and Implement The Fertilizer Policy

On 13 th of March, a number of stakeholders came together for a validation workshop. The workshop was regulatory impact assessment for the National Fertilizer policy for Uganda. As she opened the workshop, Dr. Sarah Ssewanyana, the executive director of EPRC revealed that there was need to increase fertilizer usage by small holder farmers in Uganda. Her comments were further enhanced by a Ministry official who said that “70% of the fertilizer imported into Uganda is used by large scale farms especially tea and sugarcane plantations.” It was Drake Rukundo’s presentation that called for an urgent need to pass and implement the fertilizer policy. In his submission, it was noted that out of the required 50kg/Ha/Annum, Uganda was adding only 1kg/Ha?Annum making the country one of the least in fertilizer use in the whole world. Rwanda farmers use 29kg/Ha/annum, Kenya 35kg/Ha/annum while South Africans were at 60kg/Ha/annum. To Rukundo, if government does nothing, there was a risk o
Read more

Mosquito nets do not eliminate malaria but save lives

By Ibrahim Kasirye Malaria as a leading killer disease in Uganda ahead of HIV/ AIDS. Uganda face over 10 million malaria cases annually and about 100,000 Ugandans lose their lives due to contracting malaria most of whom are children. It is responsible for 40% of all outpatients and 25% of all hospital admissions in health facilities. During the World Malaria Day celebration last week, the Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda Hon Rebecca Kadaga was quoted saying “ Mosquito nets are a waste of money ”. Although one may share the Speaker’s frustration that malaria remains a menace in Uganda whereas other tropical countries e.g. Cuba have managed to eliminate the malaria parasite, it is also worth appreciating the dilemma faced by public health officials and the environment within which they operate. At an estimated expenditure of US$ 150 million for 21 million   long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) every 3 years (or about US$ 50 million per year), Uganda’s expenditures on
Read more