Speaker Anita Among urges MPs to support PDM as House goes on recess

The Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has called upon Members of Parliament to utilize at-least two weeks of a month-long period when Parliament will be on recess, to sensitize their constituents on the importance of the Parish development model.

The Parish Development Model is an approach by the Government aimed at organizing and delivering public and private sector interventions for wealth creation and employment generation at the parish level as the lowest economic planning unit.

Addressing the House during the last Sitting of the 1st Meeting of the Second Session of the 11 Parliament yesterday, Speaker Among pointed out the need for leaders to be agents of positive change by sensitizing the people they lead of the different development programs that the government has put in place to improve their livelihoods.

‘’Honorable members, I urge you all to spare two weeks of this recess to sensitize your people about the Paris Development Model ‘’ She said.

Adding… ‘’I expect you to carry out the oversight role as you are mandated. This includes holding the executive accountable and ensuring that it implements policies in accordance with the laws and budget passed by the Parliament.’’

In February, President Museveni said the Parish Development Model (PDM) will take the government to the people in a more effective way and help in receiving actionable feedback from the people on wealth creation.

What is the Parish Development model?

The Model positions the parish as the epicenter of multi-sectoral community development, planning, implementation, supervision and accountability. Parish as the lowest reference unit for planning, budgeting and delivery of interventions to drive socio-economic transformation.

The PDM aims to create Wealth, Employment and increase Household Incomes.The PDM has seven Pillars i.e.

Production, Storage, Processing and Marketing;
Infrastructure and Economic Services;
Financial Inclusion;
Social Services;
Mindset change;
Parish Based Management Information System
Governance and Administration.

The Model proposes building infrastructure and systems that support processing and marketing of Uganda’s agricultural products, generating data on house-holds country-wide to inform Government interventions.

Farmers at Parish level will be coordinated through area-based commodity clusters in order to increase production and productivity that will create sustainable agricultural production.

Farmers will also get access to Agricultural extension services, finance business Management training.

The model also encampasses building infrastructure and systems that support processing and marketing of Uganda’s agricultural products like Coffee, Cotton, Cocoa, Cassava, Tea, Vegetable Oils (Inc. Oil Palm), Maize, Rice, Sugar Cane, Fish, Diary, Beef, Bananas, Beans, Avocado, Shea Nut, Cashew Nuts, Macadamia