{UAH} District GDP in Uganda: Why report does not come as a surprise

Vicky

I will suggest that NRM government abandons its private sector stance.
It is not helpful at all.

Whereas GDP can offer a nice picture it doesn't tell the reality.
Uganda should use a simpler metric system of percentages, and ask how
many citizens have; beds, a fridge , a cooker, a TV set, a laptop or
desktop, a radio, a water tank, a carpet of sort, a sofa, in a
community, county, district and region. If have either let government
make an effort to make people have those items and an inducement to
demand more.

Such things will tell you more about the welfare and wealth of the
nation than a GDP.
Money earned can be only hand to mouth as it so happens in many homes
in the central region.

Bwanika
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District GDP in Uganda: Why report does not come as a surprise

By Victoria Nyeko

The harsh reality of poverty in Uganda per district was recently
captured by newspaper headlines that six of the 10 poorest districts
are in northern Uganda. The study's findings were that Wakiso District
came top with GDP per capita of about Shs11m followed closely by
Kampala at Shs9m, and Kagadi District at the bottom at about
Shs205,000.

The aim of the study by Frederick Pardee supported by Usaid, was meant
to find out the distribution of human development in Uganda. The study
estimated personal incomes and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for every
district.

According to the Economic Times' Bennett Coleman, GDP is the final
monetary value of goods and services produced yearly within a
country's geographical area. In other words, GDP is important and
widely accepted as an economic indicator. It measures how well or not
a country or district is performing in terms of income generation from
services or products aimed at creating wealth by eliminating poverty.

In Uganda, we are told that the country can attain lower middle income
status by 2020, a dream that seems unrealistic and doubtful.
Tragically for Ugandans, achieving lower middle income status is
unlikely since our economy should have been growing consistently by 12
per cent annually for at least the last 10 years.

Instead, economic growth is lagging behind at only 4.5 per cent yearly
according to the 8th edition of the World Bank economic update.
Therefore, the report validates the alarming poverty status of many
Ugandans, notwithstanding the poorest northern districts.

In Uganda many people have given up, bitterly accepting that when you
look at the map of our country's wealth distribution, the north seems
to appear as though it were a different country, certainly not part of
Uganda.

Some people might say that the reason the north is worst hit with
poverty is because of the 20-year Kony war, resulting in displaced
people camps and dire poverty. While this perception might be true to
some extent, others think that the fate of northern Uganda was sealed
by the historic actions of previous governments.

If the observations are true, the glaring paradox in Museveni's
government is that although the report has singled out poorest
northern districts, the hard truth is that most Ugandans in all
districts, at some level or another are feeling the hardships of
poverty.

For the rich, the level of comfort goes without saying, but for the
average Ugandan, a few may be slightly better off than the people at
the grass roots who go without food at home; whose children cannot go
to school because of no fees; who don't have income generating
activities and are completely frustrated. In case of illness, they are
left wondering where to get money to pay for medical treatment.

While the Ministry for Finance, Planning and Economic Development
claims its vision is to effectively and efficiently achieve the
fattest rate of economic transformation to benefit all Ugandans, this
doesn't seem to be the reality.
Clearly, ministry of Finance's vision is being achieved in selective
districts identified by the report as richest in Uganda.

Ms Victoria Nyeko is a media commentator.
nyeko.victoria@yahoo.com
Twitter:@VictoriaNyeko

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