The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Henry Musasizi Ariganyira has called for stronger coordination among government planning, accounts and procurement units to improve budget execution, accountability and service delivery.
Minister Musasizi made the call on Wednesday while closing the annual meeting of Heads of Planning, Accounts and Procurement Units at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.
He said the coordination of the three functions is critical to effective government planning, budgeting, implementation and reporting, particularly as Uganda pursues its Tenfold Growth Strategy aimed at building a $500 billion economy by 2040.
Minister Musasizi said achieving the target requires disciplined budget execution, stronger domestic revenue mobilisation, implementation of the presidential wealth creation agenda, prudent management of oil resources and adherence to the Budget Discipline and Accountability Charter.
He also urged government agencies to move away from expenditure-driven budgeting and instead focus on results, where the success of public spending is measured by the tangible value it delivers to citizens.
“Planners, accountants and procurement officers must work as one team with integrity to support the delivery of the ATMS and enablers,” he said.
Minister Musasizi further called for the professionalisation, standardization and regulation of planning and procurement, alongside stronger budget controls, supervision and monitoring to ensure government resources translate into tangible results for Ugandans.
Earlier, the Acting Director of Budget, Hannington Ashaba, described the planning, accounts and procurement functions as the “triad” and engine room of effective budget execution.
Ashaba called for realistic and evidence-based planning, timely and value-for-money procurement, financial discipline, effective cash-flow management and timely payments.
He urged the three units to break institutional silos and align their work with the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and the Tenfold Growth Strategy.
Participants at the meeting cited weak coordination, inadequate budgets, procurement delays, poor cash-flow management and irregular finance committee meetings among the challenges affecting budget execution.
They also raised concerns over diversion of funds, incorrect classification of government assets and inadequate maintenance of public assets.
The meeting resolved that government planning should be better integrated and cascaded from the grassroots to Cabinet and Parliament, with departments working together to consolidate plans, strengthen alignment and speed up implementation.
