PM Nabbanja directs ministers to use social media to publicise gov’t achievements

The Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja has said she has directed ministers to use social media and other media channels  to publicise government achievements.

“I have therefore directed that Ministers and other senior leaders of government should regularly use radio and TV stations, social media and all other forms to tell our people what government has done and is doing for them. If we don’t tell our positive stories, no one else will do it for us,”Nabbanja said.

The Prime Minister was on Thursday speaking at the closing ceremony of the five day retreat for officials and technocrats in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries at the National Leadership Institute, Kyankwanzi.

The Prime Minister said in her travels across the country in the last three months, she noted many of the government’s achievements have not been communicated to the masses, a thing she said needs to be changed.

Nabbanja told the ministers, Permanent Secretary and other technocrats in the Agriculture Ministry that with agriculture as the back borne of the country’s economy and a source of livelihood for millions of people, it is prudent that farmers benefit more from the sector.

As you are all aware, one of the biggest challenges our country faces is transforming the 39 percent of our population that is still outside the money economy. We must do everything within our power and means to lift our people out of poverty and get them engaged in productive and business-oriented agriculture so that they can earn a good living,” she said.

“Agro-industrialisation is one of those ways through which we can achieve this. That is why I am very pleased to see that as one of the first actions of the new leadership of this ministry, the effort has been on this important subject. I congratulate you.”

She said that as part of the third National Development Plan, government efforts are now geared towards the parish development model whose approach targets resources and energies at the parish level.

According to the Prime Minister, the people must feel the presence and touch of government but not through “abstract” concepts to them.

“Agricultural extension workers, provision of planting materials, seeds, and other farm inputs must be targeted to the people at the parish.”