I am Satisfied with Performance of PDM so Far, says Museveni

President Museveni has said he is satisfied with the performance of the Parish Development Model program so far.

Addressing journalists as the PDM assessment tour ends, the president said unlike other programs, PDM seems to be progressing well so far.

“When you look at beneficiaries you see they are excited. I am satisfied. Finally, we have got a good strategy,” Museveni said.

Parish Development Model is a strategy for organizing and delivering public and private sector interventions for wealth creation and employment generation at the parish level as the lowest economic planning unit.

The Parish Development Model is made up of seven pillars including production, processing and marketing(value chain development) ,infrastructure and economic services , financial inclusion ,social services community data(Community information system).

The Parish Development Model (PDM) is the last mile strategy for service delivery by government for improving incomes and welfare of all Ugandans at the household level.

Commenting about the program, the president said by 1997, government introduced Entandikwa at sub county level to help people get out of poverty but said the money was eaten.

“We brought NAADS but government employees ate the money but we don’t care, even if we lose, in the end we benefit. In 2013, we introduced Operation Wealth Creation who performed well but in the middle, I heard the army officers were only giving their own. That’s why I said bye bye to them.”

The president said despite the shortcomings, Operation Wealth Creation helped transform livelihoods with households involved in subsistence farming being 68% in 2013 and by the end of the program in 2020, this had improved to only 39% involved in subsistence production.

Nevertheless, the president said he introduced the Parish Development Model which he said is doing wonders.

“I realised all the other initiatives it was government officials distributing, this time we said government should not carry the burden. We decided that the people should manage their own money. I am now satisfied that we finally got a good strategy,” Museveni said.