Talk less, do more, top executives tell government

Kampala- Government should act more and talk less, according to Uganda’s top chief executive officers.

Speaking at the CEO Forum in Kampala early this week, many chief executive officers unanimously showed concerned for the manner in which government implements policies and development plans.

For instance, some wondered why government has failed to align the country’s development agenda to the National Development Plan.
Several government entities, they said, work in isolation, which could explain the poor performance of the National Development Plan.
The summit which was conducted under theme: “National convention on making economic growth, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable” sought to find solutions on how best government can implement policies without hurting the business environment.

In his presentation Prof Charles Kwesiga, the Uganda Industrial Research Institute executive director, said Uganda was not short of good policies, noting that the problem was with how they are implemented.

However, Mr Gilbert Assi, the Vivo Energy managing director, said policy implementation was a widespread challenge across Africa, noting that the continent will continue to suffer if this is not addressed.

“Not until it [policy implementation] is addressed it will be difficult to move on a pace that get things done within the acceptable timelines,” he said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Mr David Bahati, the Finance state minister for Planning admitted the challenge with policy implementation, saying government was already working on a solution.
The CEO Forum, an annual summit, seeks to brainstorm on the challenges Uganda faces while finding sustainable solutions.
Dr Joseph Muvawala, the National Planning Authority executive director, challenged the chief executive officers to show government how policy implementation is done, arguing that that is the spirit behind the forum. “We don’t want just to be doing planning. We want to implement the plans. The best advice we want from you is to show us how to better implement our plans,” he said.
However, Mr the Uganda Manufacturers Association executive director, informed Dr Muvawala that government needs to identify the problem and implement the solution with follow ups to ensure that the problems are fixed.

The CEO Forum

The platform for thought-provoking discussions that is delivered through the sector-specific chief executive officers from across the industry.
Each year it brings together more than 200 within and beyond East Africa business and government leaders to debate and exchange on the issues affecting national and regional development.

[email protected]