Uganda showcases inclusive growth model at Geneva dialogue

Geneva, Switzerland — Uganda’s Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury (PSST), Ramathan Ggoobi, has called for both moral and sociological recognition of poverty and inequality as solvable challenges, stressing that meaningful social change is key to building fairer and more inclusive societies.

Speaking at the Dialogue on Inequality, Poverty and Trade in Africa and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), organized by UNCTAD and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Geneva Office, Ggoobi highlighted Uganda’s track record in fighting poverty and inequality over the last three decades.

“Measures to address poverty and inequality require two judgments: first, a moral judgment that poverty and inequality are unfair, and second, a sociological judgment that this unfairness can be cured through social change,” Ggoobi said.

He pointed to Uganda’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) and subsequent National Development Plans (NDPs), which have delivered universal education and healthcare, gender equality initiatives, and empowerment programs for persons with disabilities. These interventions, he noted, reduced Uganda’s poverty rate from 56.4% in 1992 to 16.1% today, surpassing the national target of 18.5% by 2024.

“What is the secret? Uganda, starting in the early 1990s, recognized two reliable opportunity equalizers in life: education and financial inclusion,” Ggoobi told participants, adding that Uganda has embraced wealth funds and nationwide financial inclusion programs to uplift households.

He cited the Parish Development Model (PDM) as the country’s latest flagship intervention. By September 15, 2025, over 3.2 million households had received grants of USD 300 each to invest in agribusiness enterprises. This, he noted, has helped cut the share of households in the subsistence economy from 68% in the 1990s to 33% today.

Uganda’s inclusive growth efforts are further supported by targeted initiatives such as the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), Uganda Women Empowerment Programme (UWEP), Special Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE), Special Enterprise Grant for Older Persons (SEGOP), National Special Grant for Persons with Disabilities (NSGPWDs), and the Presidential Initiative on Wealth and Job Creation (EMYOOGA).

The Geneva dialogue brought together government officials, international organizations, development experts, and delegates from permanent missions, who exchanged experiences and policy options for reducing inequality, fostering inclusive development, and strengthening trade opportunities for Africa and LDCs.