Sensitise communities on PDM, minister urges local leaders

FORT PORTAL – The Minister of Tourism and Wildlife Antiquities, Tom Butime has asked leaders to sensitise citizens in their the communities about Parish Development Model [PDM], the socio-economic transformation programme that should boost production in the country if well managed.

Butime said sensitisation about the programme is needed because some people still do not understand it, yet government wants to ensure it succeeds.

The PDM is a multi-sectoral strategy aimed at moving the 39 percent of Ugandan households out of the subsistence economy into the money economy, using the parish as the epi-centre for development, with the government earmarking Shs 100 million revolving fund per parish for five years.

While speaking at the sensitisation meeting for leaders in Fort Portal city on Monday, Butime said the programme targets the poor people and not those who are well off.

The sensitization meeting included city political leaders and technical team from Fort Portal and the Resident city commissioners.

Butime, accompanied by the state minister for ICT Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, are traversing the whole of Rwenzori Sub-region sensitising leaders on PDM.

“Communities need to be sensitized on all pillars of PDM and also be equipped with knowledge and skills on how to utilize this money,” Butime said.

He urged leaders to read the PDM guidelines manuals and understand them so that they easily monitor the implementation of the programme.

Challenges

The Fort Portal Resident City Commissioner, Angalia Godwin Kasigwa said one of the challenges they are facing as a city is four wards that are not in the system because they have no leaders.

Kasigwa said they have engaged the electoral commission about it but the system of conducting elections seem not to take immediate effect because the process may take some time.

“When Fort Portal was granted a city status, more wards were created and some of them are yet to be reflected in the electoral commission system. Nothing can go on in these wards as far as PDM is concerned because there is no leadership and therefore SACCOs can’t be formed,” Kasigwa said.

He called upon the ministers in charge to push for these wards to get leadership.

The state minister for ICT and national guidance, Godfrey Kabyanga said SACCOs are yet to receive money for PDM because data collection is delaying the whole system but hopes that by July they will be done.

Ministry of ICT and National guidance and Uganda Bureau of Statistics are collecting data for PDM from all households in the country with the help of data collectors.

Kabyanga said some districts are done with data collection but others are still collecting.

https://thecooperator.news/pdm-rwamirama-urges-mbarara-officials-to-play-their-roles/

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