What civil society wants government to focus on in the next financial year

Civil society organisations have asked government to focus its resources on operationalisition of the different industrial parks spread across the country by investing in critical infrastructure such as electricity, water, roads and ICT infrastructure to drive industrialisation, job creation and import substitutions.
This, and others, are part of the seven priorities that civil society wants government to focus on during the 2025/26 financial year.
In a joint paper, presented by Dr Arthur Bainomugisha, the Acode executive director during the National Budget Conference, civil society said there was limited functionality of industrial parks in local governments, which hampers industrial development, job creation, and economic growth.
“The parks are falling short of supporting local production and strengthening value chains, which are crucial for sustainable development and long-term economic success,” he said, noting that in the next budget, government should allocate resources to operationalize industrial parks, which would enhance value chain linkages between local farmers and producers with industries, particularly in agriculture, dairy, and fisheries sector.
Other focus areas, Dr Bainomugisha said include development of local government transport infrastructure, increase climate change financing to reduce vulnerability to extreme weather conditions and enhance local government financing to enable decentralised services delivery.
“Limited financial autonomy and inadequate resources often hinder the effectiveness of local governments fulfilling their mandates. On average, local governments receive approximately 11 percent of the national budget,” which, Dr Bainomugisha noted that a study by Acode had indicated that Shs3.1 trillion due to local governments had been retained by ministries, departments, and agencies, despite Ministry of Finance issuing a circular that such resources be sent to local governments.
Civil society also wants government to focus on domestic and urban waste management, which continues to present challenges to Ugandans, prudently manage debt, and enhance the implantation of the parish development model to benefit the wider society.
Dr Bainomugisha also noted that government needed to plan for a local government leadership change, which would happen in the second half of the 2025/26 financial year, following the February 2026 elections.
They also say limited financing, corruption, and inefficiency of statutory boards and commissions in local governments need to be strengthened because there are structural and operational gaps in the functionality of various accountability organs at local government level. 
Corruption and inefficiency continue to be deeply intertwined challenges that have consistently undermined Uganda's socio-economic and governance systems, which calls for strengthening the existing anti-corruption institutions.
[email protected]