Govt Targets Grassroots Prosperity with Expanded Wealth Creation Budget

The Ministry of Finance has announced that over Shs 8.03 trillion has already been channelled into Uganda’s key wealth creation programmes—namely the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga—marking a substantial boost in efforts to transform household incomes and uplift the national economy.

This disclosure was made through the Ministry’s official X (formerly Twitter) account as part of its ongoing public outreach ahead of the 2025/26 national budget presentation.

“In the Budget for next FY 2025/26, we shall present to you how we are going to empower more Ugandans through these wealth creation initiatives,” the Ministry posted, signalling continued emphasis on broad-based economic inclusion in the upcoming fiscal plan.

President Museveni echoed this commitment during his State of the Nation Address last Thursday, attributing recent economic gains to deliberate government strategy.

“These achievements are not by accident. They are on account of deliberate and focused government interventions,” he said.

Introduced in 2022, the Parish Development Model was designed to transition 39% of Ugandans—those still entrenched in the subsistence economy—into the money economy by decentralising financial support to the parish level.

Emyooga, on the other hand, targets skilled workers, small-scale entrepreneurs, and cooperatives, offering them startup capital and credit to strengthen their enterprises.

While critics have at times questioned the pace and transparency of fund disbursement under these programmes, government officials maintain that the overall direction remains sound.

The Finance Ministry is expected to detail new strategies in the upcoming budget that will deepen support to rural communities, broaden access to affordable financing, and promote entrepreneurship across the country.

The Ministry’s updates are being disseminated under the #KnowYourBudget25 campaign, aimed at fostering greater citizen engagement in Uganda’s development agenda.

By increasing public awareness, the campaign seeks to build a sense of ownership among Ugandans regarding national investments, particularly those targeting grassroots transformation.

As Parliament prepares to scrutinise the 2025/26 budget in the coming weeks, attention is likely to focus on how the government balances its continued funding of legacy programmes like PDM and Emyooga with emerging economic pressures, including youth unemployment and inflationary trends.