BUVUMA, April 25, 2025 — Brig. Gen. Godfrey Muwanguzi, Deputy Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation [OWC], has called on leaders in Buvuma Island in Buvuma district to rally communities to fully embrace the Parish Development Model [ PDM ], a government initiative aimed at eradicating household poverty and driving inclusive development.
Muwanguzi is undertaking a four-day working visit to Buvuma Island, focusing on assessing the impact of the PDM and monitoring progress on the National Oil Palm Project [NOPP].
He has toured oil palm plantations and held strategic discussions with investors and local leaders, stressing the importance of strengthening community partnerships to maximise the impact of key government programmes such as PDM and OWC.
His engagements seek to evaluate how the PDM is transforming livelihoods and accelerating economic growth within Buvuma’s rural communities.
In a recent meeting with district officials, Muwanguzi encouraged leaders to draw inspiration from the success of Kalangala’s oil palm initiative, urging them to adopt proactive approaches to replicate similar progress in Buvuma.
“We must remain united in our pursuit of government objectives aimed at achieving social and economic transformation,” he said.
He further emphasised the significance of the Four Cs—Command, Control, Timely Communication, and Effective Coordination—as essential pillars for the successful implementation of both the PDM and oil palm initiatives.
Jacqueline Birungi, the Buvuma Resident District Commissioner, welcomed Muwanguzi’s visit, describing it as a source of renewed motivation for local leadership and a reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to grassroots development.
Mboogo Issa, Buvuma’s Chief Administrative Officer, outlined the tangible benefits already being realised through oil palm cultivation, including improvements in education, infrastructure, housing, and nutrition.
However, he also pointed to ongoing challenges, such as delayed compensation for landowners, sluggish disbursement of PDM funds, late payments to tenant farmers, and logistical barriers impacting project delivery.
The Buvuma district LCV Chairperson, Adrian Ddungu Wasswa, praised President Yoweri Museveni for championing financial inclusion through the PDM, attributing the programme’s growing success to the coordinated efforts of OWC and the dedication of local implementation teams.
Since its inception in 2019, the Buvuma Oil Palm Project has achieved the planting of 2,600 hectares out of a planned 8,584 hectares. The first harvest, registered in October 2024, has generated optimism about the project’s long-term potential, despite the challenges that remain.
About the PDM and OWC
Launched in February 2022, the PDM is a Ugandan government initiative aimed at transforming subsistence households into a money economy by improving service delivery and promoting economic growth at the parish level. It focuses on empowering local communities to identify their needs and priorities [agricultural enterprises such as coffee, piggery, poultry keeping, etc.], enabling inclusive and sustainable socio-economic transformation.
On the other hand, OWC, also a government initiative, was launched by in July 2013 as an intervention to efficiently facilitate national socio-economic transformation, with a focus on raising household incomes and wealth creation by transforming subsistence farmers into commercial farmers to end poverty. This was after successful implementation with tangle outcomes of the pilot programme launched to support Civilian-Veterans in the “Luwero-Rwenzori Triangle”.
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