GOVERNMENT CONSERVE ENVIRONMENT, HAVE CORRECT MASTER DATA FOR CONTINUOUS PROGRESS
On a negative note, however, it is a fact that some growth and development attained in this country have come at the cost of natural resources and environmental depletion.
By Guest Writer
OPINION: TheUganda government finds itself with a lot of challenges at times, leading to conflicting objectives.
Today, as the government embarks on the economic growth and transformation journey with the implementation of many LED programs that run side-by-side, like the parish development model, emyooga, and operation wealth creation, unusually large youth unemployment gaps have exponentially increased, and this may probably confirm an analogy that economic growth may not necessarily lead to employment growth.
On a negative note, however, it is a fact that some growth and development attained in this country have come at the cost of natural resources and environmental depletion.
Whereas SDG goal number 13 compels governments to take action on climate change, in Uganda the environment has severely been degraded, with trees being cut to near extinction for charcoal and agricultural activities in the forests of Mabira in Buikwe, Bugoma in Hoima, and Budongo in Masindito, to name a few, but all being destroyed by human actions with less government intervention.
Therefore, if this country is to remain meaningful to the future generation, it must define and refine herself in areas of environmental conservation,enforce the laws on environmental protection and conservation, act aggressively to adapt to the changing climate, and mitigate the future impacts by reducing carbon emissions, as these measures have been found globally to significantly reduce exposures to the worst health risks of climate change. In all this, what is very important is the need to demonstrate national leadership and commitment on issues of climate change in Uganda.
As we may be aware, future climatic impacts and risks are directly tied to the present decisions and policies our government is committed to undertaking.
Thus, whereas the government is a signatory to many international protocols, including the Montreal Treaty that compels governments to protect the ozone layer through regulating emissions from factories, the Ugandan government and Parliament have not yet probably enacted or enforced laws and regulatory mechanisms aimed at deepening such good treaties to save Mother Nature and human lives.
We have been warned by scientists that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere for hundreds or even thousands of years, and higher concentrations of these gases increase greenhouse effects, leading to higher temperatures, a rise in sea levels, and shifts in global weather patterns.
And these effects have very dire and devastating effects on agriculture, with more than 20% chances of yield losses for food crops and human life.
Empirical evidence shows that, if as a country we stay on the current emissions trajectory, which is somewhat alarming, our environment and generally climate risks are likely going to multiply and accumulate as the decades tick by without major strict regulatory frameworks and enforcement, political commitment, and interventions.
This therefore calls for urgent government intervention and parliament’s action to remain resilient at national level in making and enforcing the regulatory framework so as to be able to adapt to the changing climate conditions and devise newer ways of increasing agricultural food systems.
Until today, Uganda is still stuck in agriculture, with 80% of citizens in the same sector doing farming on a small scale through the use of rudimentary methods.
It is assumed that with the arrival of the parish development model (PDM) and full adoption of the seven pillars, the mindset will change, value will be added to produced goods through Agri-processing, and post-harvest services will improve.
Needless to say, however, the Buy Uganda, Build Uganda (BUBU) policy has not yet limited Uganda’s dependency on other countries like China, India, and Turkey for the enhancement of internal employment opportunities.
In short, therefore, to meet the aspirations of her people and address the many needs of the population, the best governance model for Uganda would entail having up-to-date, consistent, complete, and correct master data, using network analysis to capture missed opportunities for revenue collection, detecting anomalies, and strict enforcement of the regulatory framework.
The author is Patrick Kagaba Kajuma, MPA Scholar, Uganda Management Institute.
Disclaimer: As UG Reports Media LTD, we welcome any opinion from anyone if it’s constructive for the development of Uganda. All the expressions and opinions in this write-up are not those of UG Reports Media Ltd. but of the author of the article.
Would you like to share your opinion with us? Please send it to this email: theugreports@gmail.com.
