The Parish Development Movement (PDM) is intensifying efforts to empower Ugandan households and transform the nation’s socio-economic structure, according to Dennis Galabuzi Ssozi, the National Coordinator of PDM.
Speaking during Spotlight Uganda, hosted by NBS Television under the theme, “Financial Empowerment: Unlocking Uganda's Household Wealth,” Ssozi emphasized the importance of understanding society as a cornerstone of effective leadership.
“The vision bearer of PDM has told us many times that one of the tenets of good leadership is to understand the society you want to lead. Leadership exists to solve problems, and it is crucial to understand the problems facing society,” Ssozi said.
Ssozi highlighted the structural economic differences between Africa and Europe, noting that Uganda has not undergone a similar evolution of its social-economic framework.
“In Africa, unlike Europe, we didn’t go through a proper evolution of the socio-economic structure. In Europe, they have a strong middle class that serves as wealth creators,” he said.
Ssozi reiterated the President’s commitment to transforming Uganda both economically and socially.
“For Uganda to move forward, we need to transform our society economically and socially,” Ssozi said.
Addressing service delivery challenges, Ssozi explained that PDM has refocused efforts to ensure programs reach intended beneficiaries.
“We discovered that service delivery was not particularly getting to the intended beneficiary, so we had to change the strategy and engage directly with people through the parish, the last administrative structure,” he said.
Ssozi also discussed challenges facing businesses and startups, citing the diversion of funds as a major hindrance.
“One of the things that disorganizes businesses and startups in Uganda is the diversion of money. People often use funds meant for business to pay school fees. That’s why Pillar 4 of PDM focuses on human capital development,” he said.
Looking ahead, Ssozi expressed optimism about the impact of PDM initiatives over the next five years.
“In the next five years, we expect to reduce the number of people still engaged in the subsistence economy,” he said.
The Parish Development Model is designed to bring essential services closer to the people, with an emphasis on agricultural productivity and economic efficiency.
“We have advised districts to have at least three priority crops for the sake of economies of scale,” Ssozi said.
Through these targeted interventions, PDM aims to strengthen Uganda’s economic foundations, foster wealth creation at the household level, and drive sustainable national development.